I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
by PardoxPixie
Summary: What if the Doctor hadn't tried so hard to deny he loved Rose? What if their relationship had actually developed romantically in Series 1? How would that affect things to come in their future? How will it change the events we know? Goes behind scenes & between the episodes to see what happens! Doctor/Rose; 9,10,Rose,Mickey,Jack, etc...
1. Intro Author's Note

**I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN**

AN: I apologize for the lengthy AN. It won't be repeated. Promise!

This will be the Doctor and Rose's relationship through series 1. I will focus on the parts that could have (and this time **will**) lead to a more romantic relationship between them. I will also add in between the Episodes. I will **not** be doing the entire episode for all episodes for the series. But as their relationship develops it will affect how certain parts of some episodes played out. As we get to those parts I will play out those parts that are altered.

The changes to the show may seem a bit slow at first, but they will happen. There is lots of stuff happening and things you won't find anywhere else. I dare you to find one more accurate than me in quoting the show! But I will be altering it as we move along, the characters will tell me what to do.

* * *

Thanks to two authors who are letting me borrow ideas I got from their stories. I am a big fan of their stories and suggest you check them out if you haven't already. **Juile20007:** I plan to put the Doctor and Rose together earlier; though not original I will likely be using many ideas I got from her works. And from **KittyKatZorse** I will try using the "bits in Between" idea, and see how that works for me, thanks for letting borrow your ideas!

I have read **many** other stories and my story may leak ideas I got from them. No offense is intended, if I borrow on of your ideas and I'm sure of it, I'll try and mention it somewhere.

Much thanks goes to my Best friend and main Beta/editor **Jordan K. West**. I suggest if you like Twilight you check out her story, "Two Strangers".  
My mom is also a big help to my stories and I frequently bounce ideas off of her.

I now have a second adviser** Hope'sFace **who will serve as my historical source.

I also have acquired a couple of British readers who are willing to serve as my go-to British-checkers.** DarkRomanceAddict** is my Brit Adviser.

The new advisers start at Chapter 10.** I am now looking for a Classic Who Fan, if there is anyone still reading this, please PM me!**

And we ALL owe big thanks to **Russell T. Davies** to bringing Doctor Who back to us! (Despite what he did to the Doctor and Rose)

* * *

**The following notes will NOT be repeated in any other chapter and are merely a WARNING to readers:**

I don't do Classic Who. All I know about Doctors 1 - 8 comes from fan fiction or Wikipedia. Much of it I just make up. If that offends you, sorry. If you know better, review, I am always happy to correct myself when I can.

I am American. I have _never_ been outside the US, never mind making it to London. I will do my best to keep the **dialogue** as British as possible; please don't expect it outside of the dialogue. And forgive me if I name the landmarks wrong, I know them by sight from the show, that is it!

Doctor/TARDIS communication: Given recent episodes I think it is fairly limited. But I prefer stories where it is more involved than that. You may see evidence of that in this story.

* * *

On a final note If there is anyone still reading this- I strive for perfection in my stories. At least where grammar is concerned. If you ever note a grammar error, that somehow both me and my Beta missed, please send me a review, and let me know!


	2. 1 Meeting Rose

_**DOCTOR WHO**_

**I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN**

**DISCLAIMER:** Let's not forget that Doctor Who doesn't belong to poor little me, else Tennant wouldn't have been able to quit so soon.

As with all my stories all thoughts are in _italics_. To ease any confusion I have added a single quotation and Whose thoughts. (IE: _'Italics'_ thought the Doctor.)

All thanks to **Jordan K West**- my Beta, and my Mom who I bounce ideas off of and who also reads through my work before I send to JKW.**  
**

* * *

CHAPTER 1: **MEETING ROSE**

The Time War had left the Doctor more alone than ever before. He was used to loosing people he cared for. He had lost friends and people that had traveled with him many times. They all left him sooner or later. They left because of one too many close calls, or because they wanted something more, or to settle down with someone they love, or because they fell in love with him- a love he could not return. Once or twice, he had even had them die on him.

But now he didn't even have his home or his people- however much he had disliked them- to fall back on. His mind was so _quiet_. He was so used to the background noise that had always followed him on his travels. The voices of all the Time Lords that followed him wherever and whenever he went. Now all silenced; and it was all his fault.

He wasn't planning on picking anyone to travel with so soon after the Time War ended. He was too uncertain of himself. He didn't know what danger he might be to a new traveling companion. He might take his anger out on him or her. But there was something about this girl, Rose, that called out to him. Maybe the Tardis sensed it, too, and brought him here to find her. She tended to do things like that.

The doctor was tracking down the Nestene Consciousness and its Living Plastic Autons that was making itself at home in London. It had a big controller on the roof of a shop called _Hendricks,_ and he was making his way through the basement and to the roof without attracting too much trouble. Up ahead he saw a group of Autons about to kill a young blonde girl. He quickly ran to her aid.

When he took her hand, he felt a strange tingling inside of him he had never felt before. Shoving the feeling aside to focus on the girl and the danger, he quickly said, "Run!"

Rose had gone down to the basement of the shop to give the lottery money to the electrician, Wilson. Not finding him in his office, she had looked around for him, hoping to find him so she could leave and go home. It was late and they were closing the shop. Wilson was nowhere to be seen, but she had found what she quickly realized wasn't a joke but real trouble. She had come to realize- too late- that she was in danger from whoever those people dressed up like mannequins were. Closing her eyes and preparing for the worst, she was suddenly grabbed by a strange man and told to run. Going with her instincts, she trusted him and took his hand and ran with him.

The two of them ran for their lives with the Autons following quickly behind, getting faster the longer they ran. They ran to the elevator and got inside, barely making it in time. As it was a mannequin got there in time to put his arm in the door to keep it from closing. The Doctor grabbed its arm and pulled it till it came off.

"You pulled his arm off!" Rose said. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was she didn't like it. This man seemed to know about it.

"Yep. Plastic," The Doctor told her tossing the arm at her so she could see for herself and so his hands could be free. She was just a young girl, he realized, caught in the middle of things bigger than her normally small world.

"Very clever. Nice trick. Who were they, then– students?" She asked, trying to make sense of the strange things she was now being exposed to. "Is this a student thing, or what?"

"Why would they be students?" The Doctor asked, trying to figure out the girl's thought process.

"I don't know," Rose replied, suddenly hesitant to say what was on her mind. Afraid of looking like a foolish girl. Enough people had ridiculed her in the past for being an idiot and dropping out of school and having no A-levels, or for going out with that loser Jimmy Stone, or for other things.

"Well you said it. Why students?" He asked, pushing her a little, realizing that she was mostly just nervous to voice her opinion. He wondered what had happened in her past that made her so scared to give her opinion.

"'Cause to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students," she replied, explaining her reasoning at last.

"That makes sense. Well done," he told her. He was a bit impressed with her. For a simple human who had no experience with aliens and the like, it was a sensible answer. She was a fairly smart girl. She didn't overreact in the situation and she asked good questions, he liked that.

"Thanks."

"They're not students," he told her as the elevator stopped on the correct floor and he walked out.

As he escorted her to safety, he watched her reactions out of the corner of his eye. She was confused and out of her usual element but still going, wanting to know more. She didn't run scared like most people do. She was brave and impressed him with her caring and her daring. Maybe that's why he was more careful than he intended to be on the roof. He had originally not cared if he made it out of there alive or not. But then he took the hand of a human girl and told her to run. And suddenly he felt like running again, too.

Rose listened as this stranger explained who the people who attacked her were. He said, "They're made of plastic- Living plastic creatures. And they're being controlled by a relay device on the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this," he held up a device of some sort in his hands, Rose had no clue what it was.

"So...I'm gonna go upstairs and blow them up, and I might well die in the process. But don't worry about me. No. You go home, go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast," he told her, showing her to the door. Rose didn't know what to make of him at this point, but she was grateful he had saved her, and that was enough.

"Don't tell anyone about this, 'cause if you do you'll get them killed," he finished, frankly, closing the door behind him.

Rose was just about to leave the confusing and strange man behind her and do as he suggested by heading home when the door he had disappeared behind opened up again. "I'm the Doctor, by the way. What's your name?" he asked.

"Rose," she answered in a dazed sort of voice, she noted. Well, who could blame her given all the events of the last ten minutes? She was lucky she still knew her name!

"Nice to meet you, Rose," he replied in a cheery voice, far to cheery for the sort of day she was having. "Run for your life!" he said, waving the device he was still holding in his hand.

Rose was only a block away when the shop blew up. She knew this strange "Doctor" had done that. But according to him, lives depended on it, and her instincts told her to trust him. So she headed home deciding not to say a word about the strange events of the night to her mum.

* * *

D * W

The next day, as the Doctor continued to tracked down the Autons, he once again met Rose. She didn't let him just leave when he ran into her either; she wanted answers, ones she wasn't quite ready for- in his opinion.

The arm the Doctor had been tracking down, that he thought hadn't been there, was in fact still there and took him by surprise. Of course, Rose didn't realize that it _was_ in fact choking him. But when it went after her, she got a different opinion of it. He finally got it off of her and took off to take it to the Tardis to track the signal back to it's source.

Rose had continued to think about the stranger she met the previous night the rest of the night and all that day. Now here he arrived in her apartment out of the blue, and she wanted to understand what had happened at the shop. Having a plastic arm suddenly attack her by itself had not made things any easier on her and left her with a greater desire to understand what was going on.

Therefore, Rose did not just let him go off without a fight. She followed him out the door demanding answers the whole way. "Hold on a minute you can't just go swanning off!" she called to the Doctor as he ran down the stairs of Rose's apartment building.

"Yes, I can. Here I am, this is me, swanning off– see ya!" He called back to her, cheerily. He didn't want her involved in his life. He didn't want to get attached and lose another person. He had lost too much already.

"That arm was moving. It tried to kill me. You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell me what's going on!"

"No, I don't," the Doctor said simply. And it was that simple. If he kept her in the dark, she would continue to be small, but she wouldn't get sucked into his dangerous life. She could continue to be a wonderful human. He walked out the door of the building and started off in the direction of the Tardis with Rose trailing along behind him.

Rose tried to bluff him then. "All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said if I did that I'd get people killed. So, your choice– tell me, or I'll start talking." Rose said. She hoped that he was serious when he had told her that, he had seemed to be, so she tried to call on his desire not to get people killed. Course, she wouldn't really, if it would get people killed, but she had to do something to get him to talk.

_'Was that supposed to be a threat?' _thought the Doctor. "Was that supposed to sound tough?" He wasn't impressed with that tactic, he knew she wouldn't actually do it. Never try and bluff someone who's even remotely telepathic. Though he couldn't actually read her thoughts, he could read intentions and emotions, and he read people well enough to know she wouldn't tell people. Rose had believed him last night, consequently she would keep quiet.

"Sort of," she said, less cocky now that he had called her bluff.

"Doesn't work."

"Who are you?"

"Told you– the Doctor," he replied, as he always did.

"Yeah, but Doctor what?" Why did they always want a "John Doe" to go with the "Doctor"? Was Doctor not enough? He couldn't tell anyone his true name, not ever, well...there is one time he could, but he didn't think it would ever happen.

"Just 'the Doctor'," he casually responded.

"The doctor?" she asked doubtfully. That couldn't seriously be his name? Why wouldn't he give her a proper name to call him? Was it some secret or something?

"Hello!" Rose laughed as he waved at her as if they were just greeting each other rather than in the middle of a conversation.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" she questioned, wondering if his title was supposed to be famous like "The Moon" or "The Professor" or something.

"Sort of," he said just as she had moments ago.

"Come on, then. You can tell me," Rose coaxed. She wanted to understand this strange man that for some reason she had trusted with her life last night. That she still trusted despite the fact that he was the one who blew up her job last night. Something about him called out to her. She didn't know what it was, but she wanted to understand him. "I've seen enough. Are you the police?"

"No! I was just...passing through. I'm a long way from home," he told her.

"But what've I done wrong?" she asked. "How come those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around you! You were just an accident. You got in the way that's all," he told her. Humans usually thought it was all about them, so he didn't blame her too much. He wanted to see how she would react to his accusation.

"It tried to kill me!" Rose cried. '_Why would it try and kill me if it had nothing to do with me at all?_' she thought.

"It was after _me_, not _you_," he explained. "Last night in the shop, I was there, you blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning I was tracking it down. It was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cause you've met me!"

"So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around _you_?" she asked with joking disbelief clear in her voice. He couldn't seriously be saying it tried to kill her because she had met him, could he?

"Sort of, yeah"

"You're full of it," she laughed.

"Sort of, yeah," he was really enjoying her company.

"But all this plastic stuff, who else knows about it?" Rose asked, switching from joking back to serious.

_'Now that's a good question for someone who is just getting started on this kind of thing' _thought the Doctor. What was he thinking? He was not taking her with him. He couldn't take someone in the Tardis anymore; his hearts couldn't handle it. She was safer on Earth anyway.

"No one."

"What, you're on your own?" Rose asked. '_The Doctor is trying to stop what ever these things are from doing whatever damage they are trying to do all be himself, no help from anyone?'_ she thought to herself. That's not right; no one should be alone.

"I mean what else is there? I mean, you lot– All you do is eat chips, go to bed and watch telly. While all time underneath you there's a war going on!" The human race. Big bunch of stupid apes, the lot of them. But he loved them. He really did, and Earth had always been a second home to him after Gallifrey refused him. And since Gallifrey was gone now, Earth was all he had left besides the Tardis.

Rose reached around him as they were walking on and took the plastic arm from his hands. "Hey, start from the beginning," she said kindly. Oh, he liked her more and more. Most humans closed their eyes to that sort of stuff. Back in the old days, he would have offered her the stars, but it was too risky to take her now.

Rose had decided that at the very least the Doctor needed someone else to confide in, even if it was only for a minute. She wanted to understand what was going on, what he was talking about. She reached around him to take the plastic arm from his hands so that she would have his complete and undivided attention- and so that he couldn't leave until he was done talking and she gave him the arm back. She wanted the story, and the sooner the better.

"I mean, if we're gonna go with the living plastic– and I don't even believe that, but if we do- how did you kill it?"

The Doctor had finally decided to explain some of what was going on to Rose. She was smart enough to understand, and she did deserve some answers. He hoped he didn't come to regret his decision. "The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal– dead."

"So that's radio control?" she asked, trying to relate it to something familiar to her.

"Thought control," he corrected. Rose said nothing for a moment and a glance in her direction told the Doctor that she was trying to process that information. It was something beyond anything she knew to be possible before she met him last night, it probably sounded like something out of a science fiction or fantasy series. Like a Jedi Mind trick from that movie saga "Star Wars".

"You all right?" He asked, wondering if it was all too much for the young girl.

"Yeah. So who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story,"

"But what's it all for? I mean– shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" she asked mock-seriously, laughing. Once again it was a ridiculous thought but almost reasonable with the little information and experience she had. He liked the way she thought. It lightened the mood and made things easier to deal with right now, just like she had last night.

She chuckled as if she too knew it was ridiculous "No. It's not a price war," the Doctor replied with a small laugh. Then he got real serious telling her bluntly, "They want to over throw the human race and destroy you.

"Do you believe me?"

"No."

"But you're still listening," the Doctor said. He was pleased with that. He had told her a lot of things that were hard for a normal girl from early 21st century Earth to believe, but she was still listening instead of declaring him mad and running away. That is the kind of things you needed to survive a life with him- not that he planned to offer her one, but once upon a time, he might have.

Rose stopped dead. "Really, though, Doctor. Tell me– Who are you?" She asked him yet again as the Tardis came in sight- though of course she didn't know about that. The Doctor stopped and gave her a small smile at her persistence. How to explain in a way that wouldn't attract her attention any further? He needed to sate her curiosity. But something about the quiet innocence of this young human girl who was so quietly intelligent called to him. He felt himself opening up further the longer he explained.

The Doctor turned back and walked toward her to explain. "Do you know, like we were saying, about the earth revolving? It's like when you're a kid. The first time they tell you that the world's turning, and you just can't quite believe it 'cause everything looks like its standing still."

Rose watched the Doctor with interest. What did this have to do with who he was? She noticed that some of his outer shell had dropped. He was no longer putting on an act of toughness or joking for her benefit. This was a glimpse of his true self that he kept hidden from the rest of the world.

"I can feel it," he said. The Doctor took her hand in his as he continued to explain. "The turn of the earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, the entire planet is hurtling 'round the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour. And I can _feel_ it. We're falling through space, you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go..."

In that moment, while the Doctor held her hand Rose almost thought she felt it too. Her head began to spin a bit and felt the wind move across her skin stronger than it should. The Doctor had unconsciously opened himself up to Rose to let her experience it for herself. So while their hands were connected, she felt the turn of the earth, just at a much less strength than the Doctor did, only 1/100 the strength of the feeling the Doctor got. (He did not even know that he had done this. He wouldn't think it was even possible because normal, everyday humans couldn't establish that kind of connection with a Time Lord like him.)

The Doctor suddenly let go of Rose's hand, realizing that he was saying too much. Telling her far too much about himself. Yet, he didn't regret that he had done so. For some unexplainable reason he wanted her to understand that about him.

"That's who I am. Now, forget me, Rose Tyler." He told her. Hoping she might listen this time. His resolve to resist the appeal of companionship was getting more and more difficult to maintain. And Rose Tyler was so clever and young and made him feel so alive already. He took back the arm and told her to go home, and he walked the rest of the way to the Tardis, which had been in sight for the past fifteen minutes.

Rose had felt so alive, holding the Doctor's hand. Somehow she knew that she had felt what he had been describing, but having no other way to explain it, she put it down to an overactive imagination. It had been an incredible feeling, but an overwhelming one. She let it go, and she let him go as he so firmly told her to go home.

His words had felt like a warning. He was telling her that he was dangerous and he didn't want her hurt. Her research into him later that day just did more to prove that. But she couldn't get him out of her mind. She got to hear of a life worth something as he told her of the events that happen all around them everyday, and Rose didn't want to go back to her small existence.

More than that, her heart called out to the Doctor's pain. She had felt that loneliness when he spoke of being "a long way from home" and wondered what had happened to cause it. She had felt his loneliness again when she asked if he was on his own. And again when he finally opened up and explained that he felt the turn of the Earth. He needed somebody, Rose hoped he found someone.

She slowly turned and began to walk back to her flat. Not long after she began to walk back she heard a strange and pleasant _Whirring _sound and a strange wind came from nowhere. She ran back to where she had last seen the Doctor, only to find the park empty. There was no one, and nothing there. Rose had the funny feeling that something was missing that had been there just minutes ago. Dismissing it, she continued on home.

* * *

D * W

When the Doctor next met Rose later that night, it was to save her from a Plastic Mickey. He admired her quick thinking in setting off the fire alarm to get the rest of the customers out of the place. She was so worried about everyone else. He would come to learn that was a key trait with her- compassion. He worried about the big picture; she worried about all the people hurt along the way.

Rose was shocked to see the Doctor again, she had been sure she had seen the last of him. Mickey had been acting funny all afternoon, and when the cork had gone straight into his head she had realized he was plastic. Which was the Doctor's goal, of course. She was glad the Doctor was there to help deal with that, but did he just pull off his head?

With the plastic targeting her the Doctor now had no choice but to bring her into the Tardis for her own relative safety. He went into the Tardis, knowing she'd follow sooner or later. He wondered what her reaction would be. She had reacted fairly well to everything she had seen or been told so far.

Rose followed the Doctor out of the restaurant and into the back alley. He pulled some weird mechanical tube out of his pocket and pointed it at the door after it closed behind them. She had seen him use it the night they met for doing something to make the elevator inoperable after they used it.. It seemed to barricade the doors, this time. She ran to the alley doors, which were chained shut. "It's locked! Use that tube thing, come on!"

"Sonic screwdriver," he told her. But instead of heading for the exit, he made for the small- phone-booth sized blue box in the middle of the alley.

"We can't hide inside a wooden box!" she cried.

After making another attempt to get through the alley gate, she finally entered the blue box. Rose opened the door, turned around to close it behind her... and then turned around again to see the _inside_ of the "small" blue box. She took one look, and ran right back out. _'Either that is a _**really **_good painting of a 3-D room, or my eyes are deceiving me, or something weird is going on. How can it be that _big _inside?!' _Rose thought.

She stepped outside again to make she had the outside dimensions right. Yes, it was just a little bit bigger than a normal red phone booth. One or two people might be able to fit inside comfortably, three or four if they cram in. _'No way could that huge room fit inside that box. At least, no way on _Earth_, or in the _21st _century'_ she thought.

But as the plastic, headless Mickey came closer to breaking through the restaurant door she put aside her reservations and ran back inside.

Meanwhile the Doctor heard Rose run into the Tardis- and could tell that she ran right back out again. Well, not the first time that had happened. It could freak people out, he supposed, if they weren't used to it. Humans. Oh, well. He figured she was double checking the size of the outside, like they always did. Stupid apes. He continued setting up to track the signal of the Plastic head while he waited for her to come back in.

Sure enough, a few seconds later she ran back inside. "Its gonna follow us!" she said.

'_Interesting. Not focusing on the Tardis or its size, or impossibility, just the danger outside. I like her. No, I like that _about _her. That's what I meant.'_ the Doctor thought. The Tardis _thrummed_ in his head, as if laughing at him. The Doctor scowled at the Tardis console.

"The Assembled Hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through those doors and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute," he told Rose, concentrating on tracing the signal. "You see, the arm was too simple, but a head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source.

"Right. Where do you want to start?" he asked turning around to face her at last.

Rose chose to remain close to the door, and far away from the obviously alien control tower in the center of the room. She wasn't sure what to make of this alien yet, but he had just saved her life, again, and that was always a huge plus in her book. In the back of her mind she heard a _Thrumming_, a comforting sound, as the ship seemed to welcome her.

TBC...

* * *

Stay tuned tor chapter 2.

Thank you to **Godric'sGrl01,** for pointing out a grammar error so I could correct it!


	3. 2 Discovering Rose

DISCLAIMER: The _**Doctor Who**_ Universe belongs to **BBC** and "Rose" to _Russell T. Davies_. Stop complaining. He **did** create Rose in the first place. We'd have no "Doctor and Rose" without him.

Again, Thanks to my my Mom for her assistance. And to my Beta,** Jordan K West.**

**I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN**

* * *

CHAPTER 2: **DISCOVERING** **ROSE **

_Previously on DOCTOR WHO..._

_"Right. Where do you want to start?" the Doctor asked turning around to face her at last._

_Rose chose to remain close to the door, and far away from the obviously alien control tower in the center of the room. She wasn't sure what to make of this alien yet, but he had just saved her life, again, and that was always a huge plus in her book. In the back of her mind she heard a Thrumming, a comforting sound, as the ship seemed to welcome her._

The Doctor watched as Rose looked around the control room shocked at the Tardis, but so far she seemed to be handling it pretty well. "Um... the inside's bigger than the outside?" it sounded like half a question, half a statement. Like she needed him to confirm what her eyes told her. Not the first time that had happened.

"Yes."

"It's alien,"

"Yeah."

"Are you alien?" It was the only thing that made sense. It explained how he knew so much about this entire mess.

"Yes," he told her with a small nod. When she didn't say anything else just stood there with a bit of a shocked expression on her face he asked, "Is that all right?"

"Yeah," she quickly replied, wanting there to be no doubt that she had no problem with the alien part. She was just taking the time to digest what had happened in the last ten minutes.

"It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T – A – R – D – I – S. That's Time And Relative Dimensions In Space,"

To the Doctor's surprise suddenly Rose was crying. Confused, the Doctor figured it was just the shock finally getting to her; she had been dealing with the alien stuff better than most of the humans he had been with in the past. "That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us," he told her.

"Did they kill him?" she asked through her tears. "Mickey. Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

The Doctor had been too concerned about Rose and the Plastic head, he hadn't thought about the kid the Auton had replaced. "Oh. I didn't think of that," he admitted to her.

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head – they copied him, and you didn't even think?" She yelled at him. "And now you're just gonna let him melt!?"

"Melt? Oh, NO, no, no, no, no!" he yelled as he turned from Rose to see that she was right, the plastic head was melting. Which meant the signal was fading. He quickly started up the Tardis to follow the signal before it completely faded.

"What are you doing?"

"Following the signal– it's fading!" he quickly explained as he raced around the Tardis controls. As the signal degraded faster than he could keep up, he shouted out again, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there, Almost there! Here we go!" Once the Tardis landed he raced out the doors. Hoping they made it close enough that he could figure out where the signal was coming from. The transmitter had to be massive, surely he should be able to see it somewhere.

"You can't go out there it's not safe!" Rose yelled as he exited the Tardis, not realizing that the Tardis had in fact moved. He just ignored her. She was still learning about all this.

As she poked her head out of the Tardis the Doctor spoke up. "I lost the signal. I got _so_ close."

"We've moved," she stated obviously. "Does it fly?" she questioned, again trying to relate the otherworldly things happening around her to something she knew about.

"Disappears there and reappears here– you wouldn't understand," he told her shortly. Honestly not trying to be rude, but no human in this era could possibly begin to grasp the workings of the Tardis. Few human of any era ever could understand any of the mechanics of the Tardis. Besides he had bigger worries right now than politeness.

"If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose."

"It melted with the head. Are you gonna witter on all night?" He could use her help. All these questions about small things were hardly helping him at the moment. In fact, they were beginning to annoy him, just a little.

"I'll have to tell his mother," she said. _'What is she talking about? Tell whose mother, what?_' the Doctor thought. She must have seen the confusion on his face because she spoke up. "Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother that he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right. You _are_ alien," she told him angrily. Someone had been killed, and he had just _forgotten_.

Okay, so he keeps forgetting this one little human that seemed to mean something to Rose. Pardon him, he's a bit busy trying to save all the other ones that are definitely still alive! But he likes that Rose yells at him when she thinks he's wrong. He needs someone to tell him when he's wrong, or he'll end up thinking of himself like a god, which would be _very_ bad for the Universe.

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey...It's because I'm busy trying to save the life of every _stupid _ape blundering about on top of this planet, all right?" He finally shouted. Really, the gratitude. So he forgot the kid (and no matter how old the guy was, he was a kid compared to the doctor); he had saved her, and was trying to save the rest of the planet. If he stopped and worried about the one single person hurt or dead, the planet would be lost.

"If you are alien, how comes you sound like you're from the North?" she asked changing the subject. She thought that it was strange that not only did he look human, but he sounded like he came from an area on this planet, too.

"Lots of planets have a North," he claimed, evading her question.

"What's a... Police Public call box?" she asked next. _'Why did his ship look like a blue box that said police?'_ she thought.

Ah, the infamous shape the Tardis had been stuck in for centuries now. He had been stuck in the 1960s for years and the chameleon circuit had gotten stuck, and the Tardis, which had become a Police Box while in the 1960s had been stuck as a Police box ever since. He could fix it, he supposed, but after all this time he had grown fond of her remaining a Blue Box no matter where he landed. It was also helpful for his human companions who didn't have to remember a new shape the Tardis became every time they landed as she remained a blue box.

"It's a telephone box, from the 1950's. It's a disguise." He told her proudly, patting the Tardis fondly.

"Okay. And this Living Plastic, what's it got against us?" She was finally ready to move on to the crisis at hand. Really, she had just needed to take a minute to let the _alienness_ of the situation settle. It was fine, but it was like swimming in a cold pool, you just needed to give yourself time you adjust to the change in temperature.

"Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet– lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air– perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein planets rotted, so...Earth-dinner."

"Any way of stopping it?" He liked that she skipped over the whole "impossible" line, and the "unfair" bit, and the "inhuman" part, and got right down to the "How to stop it" bit. He really liked that. This was not good. He was getting too attached.

He pulled out a tube of blue liquid from his wonderful Time-Lord bigger-on-the-inside pockets. "Anti-plastic," he told her.

"Anti-plastic," she repeated with the doctor, smiling at him.

"But first, I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" he asked walking around trying to identify where the transmitter might be hiding.

"Hold on. Hide what?" she asked.

"The transmitter," he explained. "The consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter–" he answered, rather unhelpfully Rose thought, "round and massive- somewhere slap-bang in the middle of London. A huge metal circular structure. Like a dish, like a wheel- radial. Close to where we are standing. Must be completely invisible." As he had talked, he had walked around and was now standing so that the London Eye was behind him.

_'Well, he said it was a massive metal wheel. That sure looks like one to me.'_ thought Rose, looking at the London Eye.

Noting the look on Rose's face he asked her, "What?" but all he got in response was a nod in his direction. "What?" he asked her again. She gave him a more firm look and another nod. He looked from Rose to the direction she was looking trying to figure out what she was indicating. "What is it? What?"

The look on her face was more confident now. She gave him a "you're being an idiot" sort of glance as she waited for him to get it. It must be right in front of his face or she would have said something by now. Suddenly the Doctor realized what he was looking at. A great big dish. "Oh" he said, smiling at Rose, "Fantastic!"

The Doctor took off towards the transmitter and Rose followed right behind him. As they ran he found himself grabbing her hand. He wasn't even sure why he did it; it just felt natural, right. She had seen what he had not. It had been right in front of his face, that big wheel-shaped Eye, and he hadn't realized it was the transmitter! Maybe he should invite her along after all. But wasn't she safer on Earth? Wasn't that better for her?

"Think of it, plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive," he told her, wanting her to fully understand the danger the planet was in. "The shop-window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables."

"The breast implants," she replied, thinking of what that might mean for those who had an augmentation done. He was impressed with how quickly she caught on with the scope of the thing. He also liked how she thought of the people- he was usually too busy worrying about the world to worry about the individuals.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

"What about down there?" Rose asked looking at a man-hole that led to a basement area underneath the London Eye.

"Looks good to me." He led the way down the stairs to the entrance she had pointed out. Rose followed behind him.

The tunnel led underneath the city, and after climbing down he looked around. "The Nestene Consciousness," he said, "that's it- inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

Rose looked in the direction he was pointing. About two stories further down form their level there appeared to be a large container of some sort, full of lava- _living_ lava. It was a bright orange and yellowish color and was moving around. Yeah, she could see how it could be alive. "Well, then, tip in your Anti-Plastic, and let's go." Rose said, wanting to get out of here and away from the creature.

"I'm not here to kill it," the Doctor told her. "I've got to give it a chance." Rose almost felt ashamed at his words. It was only right that he give it a chance to surrender. A sneak attack from behind was a coward's way, wasn't it? Her opinion of him just went up a few more notches. He started down the stairs, and she followed as far as she dared.

"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract, according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." There came a rumbling from the lava-like creature, the "Nestene Consciousness". Rose supposed that was its answer and wondered if the Doctor understood what it had said.

"Thank you," the Doctor replied to the Nestene Consciousness. "If I might have permission to approach." Another rumble.

Rose began to make her way down to the Doctor, having previously chosen to remain half way up the stairs when the Doctor had gone down one level. But as she approached she noticed something on the level below the Doctor- Mickey, alive and well. She ran down to him. "Oh, my God! Mickey, its me. Its okay. Its all right!" She told him as she went to his side to see if he was really okay.

"Shhh! That thing down there," Mickey said, in a shaking, frightened voice, "The liquid, Rose– it can talk!" he reached out to her, clinging to her, like a child seeking comfort from his mother.

"You're stinking," Rose said, noticing how horrid he smelled, and wondering how he got that way. She put her arm around Mickey as she turned to the Doctor who was now coming down the stairs to their level. "Doctor they kept him alive."

"Yeah, that was always a possibility– keep him alive to maintain the copy," he said frankly, really not fussing over the one human man. Though strangely glad that Rose was no longer being hurt over his supposed death.

"You knew that– and you never said?" she scolded him yet again.

_'So not the time'_, the Doctor thought. He hadn't wanted to get her hopes up in case they _had _killed the boy. "Can we keep the domestics outside? Thank you." He continued on down to confront the Nestene Consciousness.

Rose stepped away from comforting Mickey so she could watch what was happening in case the Doctor needed any help. He wasn't completely on his own this time- Rose was going to be there if he needed her.

"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" [Rumble] "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology, so may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"

The Nestene Consciousness growled.

"Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." The Consciousness growled even louder. "_I_ am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I am asking you, on their behalf, please, just go." The Doctor pleaded, hoping that for once someone might listen to him and leave without a fight, that he wouldn't be called on to kill to defend this wonderful planet and the people who inhabited it.

Rose watching from the level above the Doctor noticed the two living mannequins coming up from behind the Doctor and called out a warning as soon as she could. "Doctor!"

It came too late to help, and one of the Autons restrained the Doctor and the other one pulled out the Anti-Plastic. "That was just insurance, I wasn't gonna use it!" the Doctor claimed. This was not good. He was helplessly restrained by the Autons, and Rose and her friend Mickey were in great danger, not to mention the rest of the Earth. And now being caught with the Anti-Plastic was sure to throw all negotiations out the door.

Rose listened as the Consciousness growled even louder. If she were any judge she would say it was very angry. "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help." said the Doctor. "I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not!" He continued to plead as he struggled to free himself from the mannequin's arms.

It appeared useless as the growls just grew fiercer. "What do you mean?" The Doctor asked. Rose was getting sick of understanding only half the conversation. A whirring sound came, similar to the sound Rose had heard earlier that day in the park- when the Doctor had disappeared in that Blue Box, Rose now knew. Rose looked up to see the Doctor's Tardis, now somehow in the hands of this Nestene Consciousness.

"Oh, oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship." The rumbling took longer this time, and Rose was beginning to see almost facial like features in the lava.

"That's not true. I should know. I was there!" The Doctor yelled. Rose wondered what he was talking about. Again she saw that his shell had fallen away and she was seeing a small glimpse of his true self. "I fought in the War. It wasn't my fault-" the rumbling interrupted him. Rose wondered what War he was referring to. It was obviously a very painful subject for him, as his voice broke further with every word he spoke.

"I couldn't save your world. I couldn't save any of them!" The Doctor tried to plead with the Consciousness to listen. He had tried to save people, planets. He hadn't been able to save anyone. He had been able to do nothing as entire worlds had fallen victim to the Daleks, or worse, merely caught in the crossfire between the Time Lords and the Daleks. But he had not been able to save anyone- not his own world of Gallifrey, or his family. His own children had perished in that War, as had his granddaughter. He had lost everyone.

So much of it was entirely his fault. Other worlds that had been lost as the Time Lords and the Daleks battled it out, few had managed to survive. Sometimes he even wished he had done as he was asked and stopped the Daleks from ever being created. Maybe that would have been better for the Universe.

Rose had no idea about any of this. She knew nothing about the War that had rages across Time and space. But she knew that whatever it was it had a great affect on the Doctor and he obviously carried it with him. What part he had played in it- lowly soldier? Mighty general? Simple observer? Tragic victim? She didn't know, but whatever his part he had seen enough that it had obviously stayed with him. She wanted to take that burden from him, ease the pain that she so clearly heard in his voice just now.

"What's it doing?" Rose asked over the loud growls of the Consciousness.

"Its the Tardis. The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase." The Doctor explained. "It's starting the invasion. Get out, Rose! Just leg it- Now!" he yelled at her, wanting his new human friend- that had made him feel so alive, for the first time in decades, safe.

Rose was concerned. If everything plastic was gonna come alive, then what about her mum, where was she right now? What plastic things were around her right now to kill her? Rose pulled out her phone to warn her mum. Though she could barely hear her she could tell that her mum didn't listen to her warning to go home, and that made Rose even more worried.

As a bit of white-blue light appeared from the Nestene and shot toward the ceiling the Doctor explained, "It's the activation signal. Its transmitting."

"The End of the World," Rose said, worriedly. Now what would they do?

"Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!" Rose was touched that this man was so concerned about her safety. Here he was captured with no way to get out, the whole planet in danger- and that obviously meant something to him. But the thing he seemed most concerned about was the fact that _she_ was in immediate danger being right next to the alien doing the invading. She had never had anyone care so much about her safety. Even with her boyfriend right here next to her, his main concern seemed to be his own safety right now.

Rose wasn't even sure she could have left the Doctor by himself right now to try and get out of this mess all on his own. But even if she had considered running, the Nestene Consciousness took out the stairs and her means of escape as the Doctor shouted for her to run for it. "The stairs have have gone." she told him.

Seeing no other option, she took Mickey's hand and led him to the Tardis. She had to get him to safety and she hoped that the she might be able to find something to help the Doctor in there. However, it was locked, no way for her to get inside it. "I haven't got the key!"

"We're gonna die," Mickey whimpered. Rose watched the destruction rein down on them, cowering down by the Tardis with Mickey. She looked around as the mannequins held the Doctor helpless to do anything to stop them. And if they weren't stopped the whole world would be destroyed. She had to do something. Or she would die right here, along with everyone else. She started listing her reasons why it should be her risking her life to save the Doctor in her head, and her resolve grew.

Rose stood up from her cowering position, determination growing inside her. The Doctor looked at her, wonder on his face, knowing she was about to do something besides run away. "Just leave him!" Mickey cried, still cowering and clinging to her legs.

Suddenly Rose made a break for a chain that was attached to the wall further along. "There's nothing you can do!" Mickey cried after her, remaining at the Tardis' side- somehow knowing that it was safety and the way out.

Rose grabbed an ax that was beside the chain and began to hack at the chain so it swung freely from the ceiling. As she hacked she ran through the reasons for doing this once again, this time out loud, and her courage strengthened. "I've no A-levels...No job...No future. But I tell you what I have got. Jericho street junior school under-7s gymnastics team. I've got the Bronze."

By this time she had a handle on the chain and stood ready to swing down to where to Doctor stood trapped. And to where the other mannequin stood holding the Anti-Plastic. She took a running jump and held onto the metal chain, she kicked the mannequin holding the doctor, and he used that to flip it over himself and into the Consciousness. She swung further kicking the other mannequin into the Consciousness as well- and the Anti-Plastic it was holding fell in as well. She held on as she swung a little further and began to swing back to the Doctor's position.

"Rose!" The Doctor called out, worried about the young human girl who had just saved his life, and the lives of the rest of the people on this planet. He caught her as she swung toward him, and she let go of the chain, feet now firmly back on solid ground.

"Now we're in trouble," the Doctor said with a smile at the feeling of adventure coursing through him once again. Rose made him feel so alive, so excited to be saving people once again. Where just days ago it was a burden to be alive and a bigger burden to have to save the Earth yet again, now he was happy to do it, thanks to this blonde girl.

As the Nestene Consciousness died the underground room began to explode and collapse. The Doctor quickly led Rose back up towards the Tardis, pulling out his key and opening it up, around Mickey who still hadn't moved and was clinging to the Tardis doors like a child to his mother. The door unlocked and Mickey ran in, followed by the Doctor and Rose.

Rose stopped for a last look at her accomplishment; she had destroyed an alien invader. While she was saddened by the loss of life, even non-human life, she was pleased she had helped to save the planet and the people on it.

Mickey walked in just a few steps before freezing at the size of the room inside the seemingly small blue box. The Doctor strode past him, ignoring the whimpering human boy that was scared of the bigger-on-the-inside blue box. He couldn't stand people that couldn't deal with the situation. Since he had regenerated, he found he had very little patience. Rose walked in behind them and, noticing Mickey's reaction, gave him a pat on the shoulder before continuing on to watch what the Doctor did on the Tardis' console to make the Tardis move.

As soon as the Tardis landed, Mickey ran out of the box like he had a hellhound on his tail rather than standing inside a nice safe traveling machine. The Doctor watched him run, he certainly didn't seem to have what it takes to lead a life filled with any kind of excitement, he thought. The Tardis seemed to more or less concur as she gave Mickey the mental equivalent of a Raspberry as he ran out of her doors as if she was offensive. But the Doctor wondered if there might be something more to the kid underneath. After all, Rose seemed to like him, and he _had_ been through a lot for a 21st century human. Still, must he _whimper?_

Rose followed the boy out more slowly pulling out her early-21st century mobile phone to call and check that her mother was all right. The Doctor watched from the doorway of the Tardis. He gathered, given that Rose seemed to reach her mother and was laughing, that Rose's mum was okay. He was glad about that. Not easy, loosing one's mum. But she didn't talk to her mum, choosing instead to just hang up, pleased that her mum was okay.

"Fat lot of good _you _were," she said walking over to Mickey as the boy continued to whimper and point in the Tardis' direction. As if the Tardis were a big scary Cyberman, not a nice safe semi-sentient ship.

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy," the Doctor claimed with a snap of his fingers.

"You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it weren't for me," Rose said simply. She didn't say it with arrogance or pride, just slightly joking, a bit of worry, and maybe a bit of confidence that had been so lacking in the girl when he first met her. Rose had never had anyone who believed she could do anything beyond work in a shop, especially since she dropped out of school.

It had barely sunk in for Rose what she had just done. She started off the day as a school drop-out with no A-levels to her name, her job in a shop blown up the previous night, and her boyfriend a childhood friend that was safe and comfortable after the heartbreak of Jimmy Stone. Now she had just played a major part in saving the planet and the human race from an alien invasion. Never before had anything she done been so important, nothing she had done had mattered. She never knew she could make a difference, but she really liked the feeling.

Rose was a bit concerned; she didn't want anything to happen to the Doctor if he didn't have someone to help him next time he ran into trouble. And she had the feeling than he ran into trouble an awful lot.

"Yes, I would," the Doctor replied, willing to give credit where it was due. Rose had saved his life and had made him feel alive again. He couldn't let go of that feeling. So despite his reservations, he decided to offer her the stars. "Thank you. Right, then. I'll be off...Unless, uh, I don't know...You could come with me." He asked, shrugging as if it were no big deal either way to him and her answer didn't matter either way.

"This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the Universe, free of charge." She was looking at him with a smile on her face. He hoped that was a good sign and that she would say yes, make his life a little less lonely.

"Don't," Mickey spoke up, "He's an alien, he's a thing!"

Rose didn't look at him, but thought, '_That's a rude thing to say!_ _After all the Doctor had just helped to save the planet from an alien invasion.'_ If he hadn't had the Anti-Plastic in the first place how would Rose have been able to do anything to save them in the second place? Just because he wasn't human didn't make him a "thing". They didn't call dogs or cats "things", why call another sentient species from a different planet a "thing"?

Apparently the Doctor didn't take too kindly to Mickey's words either cause he said, "He's not invited," nodding in Mickey's direction. "What do you think?"

Rose didn't know what to say. She wanted to go, but what about her mum, and Mickey, could she just walk away and leave them behind? "You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh...anywhere." The Doctor said, tempting her further.

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked him. She wouldn't say no just because of the danger. In truth, the danger was part of the appeal. She had lived a nice, safe, ordinary life for nineteen years. In one day of hanging out with the Doctor she had felt more alive than she ever had before.

"Yeah," he responded, both warning her and encouraging her.

Mickey, perhaps sensing Rose's desire to go with the Doctor, got on his knees and grabbed Rose around the middle. He didn't want Rose to leave with the strange alien- they didn't know a thing about him!

Rose was debating the idea back and forth in her mind. She wanted to go, she really did, but how could she leave Mum and Mickey behind, how would that look? Mickey, who'd been there to pick her up and put her back together after that stupid Jimmy Stone tore her apart. She couldn't just abandon him, could she? No. They needed her.

"Yeah, I can't," she finally told the Doctor, regretfully. "I've, um... got to go and find my mum, and someone's got to look after this stupid lump." she said with her arm around Mickey. She smiled a small sad smile, sorry she had to turn down the Doctor's offer.

The Doctor's face didn't change, it didn't move one inch. But somehow Rose could feel the change in his features all the same. The air around him felt... sadder. He looked disappointed. She was surprised as she hadn't expected her answer to hurt him that much. She didn't want him to hurt, everything in her already cried out against him hurting. She wanted to take back that "No" even more now that it had hurt him. But she couldn't. Could she?

"Okay," he said simply. "See you around." He waited a few more seconds, hoping that she would change her mind, before finally taking a step back and closing the door. The Doctor slowly made his way up to the console and sent the Tardis into the Time Vortex, leaving Rose behind on Earth.

He sighed as he felt more weary than he had before he had met the young blonde human. The Tardis never felt so empty before. He felt doomed to wander the universe alone, with his Tardis his only company.

T.B.C...

* * *

Stayed tuned for Chapter 3. My first in between bit.

Please check the polls for this story.

All Reviews are welcome.


	4. 3 Asking Twice

**DISCLAIMERS:** I have managed to steal a Vortex Manipulator and Produced _**Doctor Who**_ in 1961, so I now own it and am a millionaire and that is why I am reduced to writing fan fiction when I want Rose and the Doctor together. There is a flaw in that logic. I also have no pennies to my name so suing me would be futile.

The idea for the Doctor's 1st stop in this chapter came from a story I read so long ago I can't even remember which Doctor it was, never mind credit the author; My apologies.

Thanks to my Mom who helped solve some issues with this chapter. And to **JKW** my Beta for her hard work.

My Rose's Birthday is:** May 7, 1986**

My Doctor met Rose March 15, 2005; she's still 19 for 2 more months.

* * *

CHAPTER 3: **ASKING TWICE**

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

"_Okay," the Doctor said simply. "See you around." He waited a few more seconds, hoping that she would change her mind, before finally taking a step back and closing the door. He slowly made his way up to the console and sent the Tardis into the Time Vortex, leaving Rose behind on Earth._

_He sighed as he felt more weary than he had before he had met the young blonde human. The Tardis never felt so empty before. He felt doomed to wander the universe alone, with his Tardis his only company..._

D*W

The Tardis _Thrummed _encouragingly at the Doctor, telling him it would all work out in the end. He looked crossly at the console for a minute.

"What would you know about it! Rose didn't want to come. That's the end of it. This life is dangerous enough. I shouldn't of asked the once, which is why I have a policy of never asking twice. I used to have a policy of _not _asking, remember, people just showed up here somehow or another." He sighed. He was tired of talking to the Tardis.

He suddenly felt weary, which wasn't good. He didn't want to sleep; he hated sleeping. Sleeping meant dreaming; dreaming meant nightmares. Nightmares meant visions of all the things he had done wrong in his 900 years- usually from the Time War and Gallifrey burning. But he had gone without sleep for nearly a week now, and as superior as his biology was, he needed to sleep at some point. He made his way to his room to rest for a while, praying his nightmares would let him have some peace for once.

They didn't. His dreams were filled with visions of his beautiful planet. It would start out peaceful, as if he were just a boy playing in the fields back home once again. Then suddenly the burnt orange sky lit up with a different kind of orange; fire and smoke followed. Next thing he knew, the ground below began to quake and break up.

Through it all, he remained fine almost as if surrounded by a protected bubble, but all the people around him- the friends and family that were playing with him in his dream- kept dying. Anytime he tried to move closer to them, to help them, the tremors just got stronger and the fires hotter, putting them all in even greater danger.

He could do nothing but watch in despair as everyone he cared for, loved, died around him as he remained safe, somehow protected from all the devastation that was raining down upon them. Gallifrey was being torn apart, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He wracked his brain for a way to help them, but there was nothing he could do. Nowhere he could go for help in time to save them. He wanted to try darting to them and see if he could outrun the tremors that grew worse when tried to approach them, but feared making things worse. He was almost frozen in terror.

Susan, his granddaughter, looked at him from where she hung on from the edge of a cliff by the roots of a tree that was about to fall over. She knew that these were her last moments. "_Why, Grandfather? Why did you do this? Why did you kill me? It is your fault. There was no reason to do this. There was another way. There is always another way. _**You** _killed me. You killed me. You! Killed! Me!"_

D*W

The Doctor woke up gasping. Worse than the dreams of the events that had actually taken place years ago were the dreams of the events that had never happened. Dreams of what they _would _have said, if they could. Why did it have to be him that survived? Why did _he _have to stop the bloody Time War? He wanted to go back and fall with the rest of his family, the rest of his people. So what if the stupid universe needed him? What had the universe ever done for him?

The Tardis sensing her driver's darkening mood quickly decided that she had to take action. He had been falling down a dark hole for some time now and she had been doing her best to land places to help him out of it. Unfortunately, once she landed the rest was up to him, and he was a very stubborn man this time around.

He had needed to take that young blonde human with him. The Tardis had liked her right away and knew things about her the almighty Time Lord couldn't begin to imagine. But the silly bipedal being had left her behind and was refusing to go back and ask again. Well, the Tardis was not going to put up with that.

So the Tardis plotted ahead. The silly Time Lord only had so much control over where they went, after all. Most of his companions blamed this on his being a "bad driver" but it was in fact the Tardis who often _adjusted _their course. He knew this, of course, but never bothered to explain himself to his human friends who had trouble believing that the bigger-on-the-inside ship was in fact, not only alive, but also sentient. Next time he set their course, she was going to take them to a place and time where he would learn how much he should go and fetch Miss Rose Tyler.

The Doctor finally got up and dragged himself over to his bathroom and splashed himself with water. He gave a heavy sigh and began his normal "morning" routine. He had gotten all of three hours of sleep. Considering he had not slept in a week or so, he really needed a bit more than that. However, he knew there was no chance he would be able to get any more sleep now. It had been a long time since he had gotten a decent amount of sleep. He had gotten used to running on less that half of a normal amount of sleep, for a Time Lord.

The Doctor, now dressed in his freshly cleaned clothes, made his way to the console room. Needing a distraction from his dark dreams and thoughts, he quickly set about finding a place to head off to. "So, old girl, where to next? Any ideas?"

To his surprise coordinates started appearing on the monitor. "Have you found something interesting? Is there some trouble going on?" he asked his wise and ancient ship. He received no reply other than the coordinated blinking, as if urging him to get moving. "Okay, lets go, then," he made his way around the room, taking them to the time and place she had suggested.

When he arrived and stepped out the doors he was surprised to find himself at the Powell Estate in London, England, Earth, and it was still night- close to ten o'clock, judging by the light. Hadn't he just left here? However, a quick check indicated that he was definitely in an earlier year. Looking around, he noted a newspaper that said the date was August 4, 1993.

* * *

D*W

Not far from where the Doctor had landed was a small park. In this park was the usual grass and trees, and bicycle and walking paths, and, of course, a child's playground. In the playground were slides, and teeter-totters, a few swings, and other typical playground equipment. And on this night, at this hour, sat a little girl all by her self on a swing, looking up at the stars. She had recently seen the movie "_Lion __King" _and wondered if it was true that people who die became stars. She wished she could go to the stars and find out.

The Doctor walked around the area trying to find out why the Tardis had brought him there of all places. He made his way to the park, the area by which he had told a young blonde human girl a bit about himself. Never had he revealed so much about himself and certainly not so soon after meeting someone, but there was just something about that girl that made him want to talk to her.

Perhaps it came from the extreme loneliness he now felt, being the last of his kind, that had made him open up to her. Maybe it had been her kindness that had made him hope she could understand something about him, which was something he had not had since Gallifrey had been lost.* Whatever it was the Doctor had felt, for a brief moment, that he had a partner again.

He sighed and walked through the deserted park, hands in his pockets. He was startled a moment later when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking up, he noticed it was a young girl sitting on a swing ahead of him._'What is she doing out here all by herself? What kind of parents would let their child out at this time of night all alone; its dangerous! And what sort of child would want to be out here by themselves?' _He thought.

The Doctor wondered if it would be better to watch from a distance to make sure no harm would come to the child or to try and go up to her and see that she go inside. He was a stranger and didn't want to frighten her so that she ran away and into other possible danger. But if he was too far away, other dangers might get close before he noticed it. So, making his choice, the Doctor put on his best "I'm just a friendly idiot" smile, and hoped it still worked in his new incarnation, and walked over to the little girl.

The young girl was only about six to eight Earth-years old, he guessed. She had lonely brown eyes and a warm smile. Dirty-blonde hair was down to her shoulders. She wore jimjams that were pink with colorful butterflies on them. Sneakers adorned her feet, and a lightweight purple jacket covered her shoulders. _'At least she was smart enough to grab her shoes and jacket before coming out here, tonight_,' the Doctor thought.

"Hello," he greeted her.

"I'm nots 'possed to talk to strangers," she said glancing at him, before looking back at the sky.

The Doctor decided to be sociable with the young child and sat down in a swing, leaving one in between them thereby giving her some room and not crowding her. "And that is a very good piece of advice to follow. So, how about I tell you my name, then I won't be such a stranger, okay?"

Looking thoughtful, the girl finally nodded.

"I'm called the Doctor. And its just the Doctor."

"Hello, Mr. Doctor," said Rose properly greeting this new friend who had dropped in on her stargazing. Rose had left her home and come out to the park so that she could look up at the stars. Her mum wouldn't be back from work till eleven and the sitter was in the 'loo while Rose snuck out.

"Hello!" he replied, waving cheerily. Children always did make him happy and forget his troubles for a while. They had such a simple way of looking at things, such innocent thought process and innocent hearts. "And may I have something to call you?" he asked her.

"Why don't you calls me Missy*?" she offered.

"I guess that'll do. Maybe when you know me better you can tell me your real name, yeah?" 'Missy' didn't respond to that, just continued to sit there on the swing, giving no indication that Missy was not her name.

"So, tell me Missy, what are you doing out here at this time of night? Shouldn't a nice girl like you be tucked into her bed?"

"I was, but I had a chance to sneak outside, so I took it," she told him in a whisper, giggling.

"Now, what was so important that you had to sneak outside to come see? Surely you know it's not exactly safe out here," he said.

"I knows, but I wanted to look at the stars. You can't sees th' stars from inside an' you can't sees them when th' suns out. So I has to come outside at night to see 'em, and I never gets to do that. Mum works at night an' everyone tells me to go to bed at night. She never lets me look at the stars." Missy had gotten more and more forlorn as she had talked to him.

"And so you risked life and grounding to come outside and see the stars. Well, I used to do similar things myself. Everyone should see the stars, Missy. From a distance if not up close." the Doctor told this sweet young girl. She tugged at his heart-strings with her desire to simply see the stars in the sky.

"I saw th' 'Lion King' with my friend th' otha' day. Mufasa says stars are people who've died looking down on us. Do you think tha's true?" Missy's voice had gotten even younger than when she had started talking to him. Whatever this was about, it was a sensitive and scary subject for the little girl.

"I don't know if our deceased loved ones look down at us from the stars themselves, Missy," he began as delicately as he could. "But I'm certain that they are watching us from somewhere, looking after us however they can."

Missy looked thoughtfully at the ground at his words. Slowly she began to swing a bit back and forth, while she continued to digest his words. _'My Daddy is watching out for me somewhere out there. I'm _**not **_alone_.' she thought.

"Why do you ask, Missy?" the Doctor questioned her. Why would such a young human child be thinking such deep thoughts?

"Well, my daddy is watching me from somewhere up there. He died when I was just a baby. I was just wondering if he was a star, and if so, which one."

Oh, what a sweet child. He liked imagination; he did. "No, I don't think he is a star by himself. You see, I've been to the stars. They're just like here. A bright ball of shinning light, a big rock full of life, and lots of people." He gave her a secretive smile.

"Really?" she asked him. Instead of looking disappointed she looked even more interested. "How can you go to the stars?" She was bright, this one.

"Well, its a secret. I'm not sure I should tell you. What if you run home and tell your mum? Or your little friends?" he asked, pretending to consider the idea a terrible one.

"I won't tell. I haven't told you my name yet, have I?" she told him.

"Aha! I knew a bright girl like you had a better name than 'Missy'. You do not look like a Missy- it does not suit you at all, young-lady," he said now wagging his finger at her, jokingly.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you my secret, if you tell me your name. It can be just your first name if you like." the Doctor offered her.

Rose thought about it for a minute. The man had been really nice so far, but she had been warned about "strangers bearing gifts". Yet, he hadn't tried to do anything in all the time they had been talking except talk to her, comfort her, like a friend. She decided that giving the man her _first _name couldn't hurt.

"Okay, my name's Rose," she finally answered.

The Doctor froze for a minute. He should have known, really. The Tardis had taken him back to the same place- earlier year- he had left the girl he had invited along but who had turned him down. He meets the sole occupant of this deserted park, and it turns out to be the one he left behind. He didn't know whether to be pleased with his meddlesome old ship or furious with his meddlesome old ship.

"Hello, Rose," the Doctor said, in a slightly strained voice. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Well. I have a super-duper space ship," he told her.

"No way!" she cried in delight and disbelief.

"Yes, way."

"How do you have a space ship, Mr. Doctor?" Rose asked him.

"Well, what if I told you I'm from one of those distant stars out there and not this sun right here?" he asked her?

"But that's not possible! That's stuff you see on TV shows like 'Star Trek' or somethin'." she said. "You don't look like a Vulcan, or a Klingon, so what are you if not human?" she bravely asked.

"Well, that's a bit more complicated, Rose. But trust me, I may look human on the outside, but my insides are more complex than human insides are," the Doctor said, remembering just in time to dumb it up even more than he normally did, so that the small child could understand.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, do you know how all humans have a heart that keeps their blood pumping?"

"Yeah," Rose said, pointing to her heart.

"Good," he praised her. "My body is different. I have two hearts."

"Really, two hearts?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded.

Rose looked down for a second, trying to decided if she dared ask the question she really wanted to ask the strange visitor.

"What is it, Rose," the Doctor asked for her.

"Can I...I- I mean, can I, please, feel it?" she asked, very nervously.

The Doctor was intrigued by the young Rose. She had reacted so calmly to everything that he had told her, and she seemed to almost believe him without any proof at all. He usually didn't let people get too close, but then, hadn't he already let this human girl get too close?

"Okay, Rose. Sure, you can." He walked over, slowly, so as not to frighten or startle the small girl. Once he was beside her swing he knelt down on his knees to her level.

Rose didn't know why she believed this mysterious man when he said he came from another planet, like some sci-fi show, she just did. And when he said the proof was in the two hearts that beat in his chest, Rose thought that was an easy thing to prove. She also thought that if he had two hearts, then perhaps he was capable of an awful lot of love and pain- when those hearts were broken. And she wanted to feel those hearts, to touch them and hope they never broke. Nobody should have to suffer the pain that two broken hearts at once can bring, the thought almost made her cry.

Rose stood up off the swing and reached out her hand to the nice alien who was crouched beside her. She looked shyly into his eyes before approaching any further. He smiled at her and gave a small nod.

"Where are they," she asked, suddenly realizing that with him not being human, those hearts could be anywhere.

"Aren't you a clever one," the Doctor praised again. "Here, give me your hand, and I'll put it right over each of my hearts, one at a time. You nod when you feel my hearts beats." he said to her. He proceeded to put words to action by gently taking her small hand and putting it right over his left heart It was more or less in the same place that a human heart lay- just a bit further to the left on him than on a human to make room for his right heart.

Rose was uncertain if he was having her on when her felt the beat of his heart in his chest. He had placed her hand on the left side of her chest, the same place any human heart lay. _'Is he joshing me?_' Rose thought, but willing to play along, she nodded, indicating that she felt the beat of his heart.

The Doctor took her hand and placed it on the right side of his chest now. Rose knew that if he was a human she should feel nothing but the rise and fall of his breathing. But on this mysterious Doctor, she also felt the distinctive Ba-Boom of a heartbeat.

Rose's eyes widened in shock and wonder. Instead of stepping away, running home, like any normal child should, Rose took a step closer. Then another. Finally she looked up at him, shyly again, and asked, "Can I listen, please?"

He was touched by the simple innocence of the young Rose and too moved to say anything. So, instead, he nodded.

Rose leaned forward and placed her head on the left side of his chest. She could hear the fairly normal sound of a heart beating, but in the background was the sound of it echoing. And instead of a single "Ba-Boom" there were four, because of the echo. She also vaguely noted how nice this felt, like getting a hug from a father, she wondered.

Then Rose lifted her head up and placed her ear on the right side of his chest, and listed again. Once again, she heard the distinctive "Ba-Boom" of his heart directly under her head beating. Followed by the echo of his left heart beating.

Finally Rose placed her head in the middle of his chest, between his two hearts, and she heard them beating in sync with each other. Ba-da-Boom-Boom. Ba-da-Boom-Boom. Ba-da-Boom-Boom. It sounded nice and comforting.

The Doctor remained still as Rose explored the sound of his hearts beating from one side of his chest to the other. This simple child wanting to touch his hearts and make sure they never broke- a thought that had leaked through her mental walls and over to him. He was so moved by her pure kindness, he was speechless. And now here he was with her head on his chest, not seeking comfort, but seeking to give him comfort. It had been decades since he felt such pure compassion.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around the young Rose Tyler. "Thank you, Rose. You're fantastic, you are!"

She looked up at him from her place on his chest. The Doctor could tell she was getting sleepy. "I think its getting late, and you should probably be getting home now, don't you think?"

Rose looked sad, but reluctantly nodded. "Come on, I'll walk you to your building." He carried her all the way to the building on the Powell Estate where he knew she lived. Rose had moved her head from his chest to his shoulder, placing her arms around his neck.

"Alright then, here we are. You go on up to bed now, Rose. You be a good girl, and maybe some day I'll take you to see the stars up close, okay?" She nodded sleepily and gave him a big smile, her small tongue poking out of the side of her lips, and headed up the stairs still wondering about her amazing new alien friend. That night she would dream about traveling the stars with the nice man in the leather jacket, seeing all kinds of weird planets and different peoples.

For months she continued to have the same kinds of dreams. But eventually it faded, as all things do when you are a kid. The memory began to get hazy and the details faded and forgotten, and eventually she began to think that, he too, was just a dream. By the time she was fifteen she had forgotten it altogether.

The Doctor watched her go up the stairs until she had made it back inside her flat. Once she disappeared inside number 48, he turned around and headed back to his Tardis. He felt decidedly better. That sweet Rose had taken this broken old Time Lord and reminded him that people still cared. As long as there was love in the universe, he guessed that was reason enough to continue on, keep on going, keep on traveling, keep on trying to save it for someone else, if not himself.

* * *

D * W

When the Tardis felt her thief return, she knew he was in better spirits. Another Tardis, who was _almost _as clever as her and had been clever enough to take her driver here in the first place, would consider the situation resolved and the Doctor healed. Blue* knew better. He may be okay for right now, but if left on his own that status would not last. She had to make him go back and ask Miss Rose Tyler again.

The Tardis scanned again for the perfect time to take her Time Lord to see Miss Tyler's future before he came along. Safe it may be, but it went nowhere, _she _went nowhere, did nothing. It took mediocre and mundane to new heights. Humans could live extraordinary lives without the Doctor, but Rose would never _try_. No one was there to push her any more, to tell her how brilliant she was. She would live a less than mediocre life and as a result live her life barely even alive.

The Tardis scanned her time-line prior to when she met the Doctor for when she had become resolved to this life. There it was. A conversation and a guy when she was 15 years old. Now all she needed to do was take the Doctor there and be sure he heard everything he needed to. The Tardis began to take off for the new coordinates she had entered.

The Doctor had entered his beloved Tardis in a better mood than he had left her in. The short conversation with the young Rose had done much to lift his spirits, remind him that there is always a reason to hope, to dream. And because of that, there is always a reason to go on.

He was shocked, therefore, when his Tardis began to take off on her own. It was common for his Tardis to take him places he had not intended to go, rather than the course he had set. It was a common "problem" with the TARDIS Type 40; they were too independent. It was for this reason that they had been decommissioned. However, almost never did his Tardis actually take control and forcibly take him somewhere. Only if he was greatly needed somewhere, or if someone else had taken control of her had that happened.

"Where are you taking me, old girl? I thought you'd be happy, things are settled," the Doctor said to his Tardis.

_'Not yet, Doctor. You still mean to travel alone, and I cannot allow that right now. We would end up back to where we were before. No, you must ask Rose Tyler again__,' _the Tardis said to him.

Well, said is a relative term. Time Lords are telepathic, and so are Tardises. They can communicate telepathically when needed. It was a bit of a strain on both, given the cross-species telepathy, so it was not used as a common means of communication. The Tardis could understand him when he spoke and tended to make herself understood in other ways, such as the pitch and tone of her _humming_ or the brightness of her lights. Since the Doctor often traveled with non-telepathic species like humans, she had perfected the art of making herself understood to those species as well.

"But I can't go back. I made a rule when I started asking people to stay, never ask twice. I shouldn't ask at all. Its dangerous. They could get killed or anything. And if that happened, it would be my fault. So no, I won't ask again," the Doctor said firmly, if a bit less firm than before. He remembered a little girl who dreamed of seeing the stars and risked her safety just to see what they looked like. How much more would she risk to see them up close?

_'Dear Doctor, you must return to her. She is needed here. But, you will not even listen to me, so I will show you,' _the Tardis insisted.

The Doctor held on tight as the Tardis took him to where she wanted him. They landed harder than normal as she didn't have a driver. Those that traveled with him longer might begin to notice a pattern with him, the rougher the landing the less likely they were to be where they meant to be. That was because of the Tardis' influence. If she didn't adjust the coordinates, the landing tended to be smoother, but still a bit rough.

Sighing heavily, the Doctor gave in, knowing that the Tardis would refuse to take him anywhere until he had been outside. _'I'll go and see what you want me to see here, but after that, no matter what I decide, we leave, agreed?'_ he mentally inquired of his Tardis?

_'I will take you away from these coordinates when you return, Doctor,' _the Tardis hedged. She left herself wiggle room so that if he continued to be stubborn she could take him to another time and try again. He may be an old cranky solider Time Lord, but she was an ancient and forever Tardis and would not be out stubborn-ed by a child!

The Doctor sighed again, noticing her cop-out. He let it be and left the Tardis. Checking around, he saw that it was January 20, 2001. Around 2:00 judging by his senses. Looking around it seemed that the Tardis had landed herself at the back of a schoolyard. He figured Rose attended this school.

Thinking it over, he remembered that he had met Rose in March of 2005, not sure of the exact date. She had been approximately twenty years old, if he was to guess. Maybe a little younger, maybe a little older. But that meant she was had to be a teenager now; he couldn't let her see him. She must not recognize me when I stumble into her life in three years, so she must not spot me. Rose was just about the right age to attend high school, like the one next to the Tardis.

Knowing from past experience that high schools let out around this time he waited around for Rose. He could follow her, listen in to whatever important conversations she was going to have today. He had to satisfy the Tardis somehow.

He followed Rose around that afternoon listening in as she talked with her friends, careful to remain hidden, lest she see him. Rose and her friends were talking about upcoming exams and their importance. Rose seemed to be struggling a bit in classes from what he gathered. The Doctor knew that meant nothing about her intelligence, however. Some people had book smarts while some had street smarts. Although he was sure Rose could be book smart with the right teacher.

One of Rose's friends was encouraging her not to give up on school and to keep trying. "You're smart, you'll get it," said the girl.

Rose seemed to be agreeing with her at first and was going to take her advice. Then an older boy showed up. He flirted with Rose and smiled at her. The Doctor didn't like him at all. He got a bad feeling about him; he was trouble, and would be nothing but heartache for his Rose.

_'Wait. _His _Rose? Since when is she _my _Rose?' _The Doctor thought.

_'Give it up old man. Its already too late. You've fallen, hard,' _said Five.

'_Shut up, I have _not_!_ _I am_ _the _Doctor _and I will not fall for some stupid ape!'_ said Nine, to Five. Well, thought was a more accurate term. It was rare that his other selves spoke up. It was too distracting, so they usually kept to themselves.

_'Sure, keep telling yourself that,_' said Seven.

Nine turned his attention back to Rose. The boy, soon identified as a Jimmy Stone, sat next to Rose and asked her if she had thought any more about leaving school and coming with him? Rose at first still seemed reluctant but the boy turned on the charm and Rose was close to agreeing. She said she'd think about it a little more and get back to him in a day or two.

The Doctor didn't need to hear anymore. He now knew what had happened to his once hopeful Rose. This punk, Jimmy, had taken advantage of her, convinced her to leave school, and then broken her heart. She must have returned to her mum's and gotten a job after that. So broken that she was convinced she'd go nowhere in life. That she could not repair the damage that she had done by leaving school.

But the Doctor had seen hope and life in her eyes return, the day they had met. Oh, Rose. How could he deny such a hopeful child who had lost all hope in adolescence, a chance to see the very stars she had dreamed of up close. And he couldn't deny it anymore- he needed someone. And such a bright and pure person, after such heartbreak, how did she do it, what was her secret?

The Doctor returned to his Tardis. "All right, old girl, you win. I'm going back to fetch Rose." He walked up to the console and began setting the coordinates for exactly 10 seconds after he had left her.

The Tardis studied the time-lines shifting around her as the Doctor made his decision. '_Make sure you remember to mention that I also travel through _Time _this time, okay, __Doctor,_' the Tardis reminded him.

"Did I forget previously?" he questioned his beloved ship. Looking back he scanned his memories of the event and sure enough, he had never mention Time-Travel. "Well, that was stupid of me!"

The Tardis _hummed_ happily as she felt the shift in the time-lines match up now. She knew Rose would join them now and her driver would be much happier for it. Her Bad Wolf would be a part of both of them in ways they had only dreamed of before. It would be _fantastic._

* * *

D * W

Rose just stared in shock at the place where the Tardis had disappeared. She could not believe she had turned down an opportunity to see the stars up close and in person. She had always dreamed of seeing the stars, going to visit them in person, ever since she was a child. Never had she imagined she would have an offer to actually do so.

Mickey and her Mum needed her. She was supposed to stay here on Earth, in London. Get a job, work, eat, sleep, and watch telly, right? _'Oh my God, that's the most boring thing I ever heard! Doctor! Come back!_' Rose thought. But it was too late; he was gone.

Rose helped Mickey pick himself up- though she was still slightly mad at him for the way he had behaved towards the Doctor; and the two of them began making their way home. Rose was walking very slow, dejectedly as she had missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime. But then, she heard a strange sound. VRWOORP. VRWROOP. A whirring and a strange wind stirring, the same thing that had happened in the park when the Doctor's box had disappeared. Was it possible it was now returning?

Quickly, Rose turned around to see what was happening. Sure enough, a blue box was appearing and disappearing right where the Tardis had been seconds ago. After a few seconds the Tardis fully... "Materialized" Rose guessed? That was a decent enough word for what it appeared to be doing. "Arrived" also worked, she guessed.

The doors opened and the Doctor poked his head out. "By the way, did I mention, it also travels in time?" he said and smiled at her invitingly.

Rose smiled back at him. No matter what was "Expected" of her at home, no matter what they had done for her, she refused to pass up on her life long dream a second time. She had felt like she was dying the first time she had. She was going to take him up on his offer this time. And since it traveled in time, she'd be back in no time, literally if she wanted.

She turned to Mickey, "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" he asked her.

"Exactly," she told him. Really, what had he done for her the past two days but think of himself? She was "nearly killed" in an explosion and he want to go to the pub after 5 minutes of checking on her. She had let him, but still it hurt a bit. And they were all in danger, and his first thought was himself, not her, while the Doctor was concerned first and foremost with her safety, before the rest of the planet, even though they just met. She wanted to experience more of that devotion.

She would be back, but the call of adventure was singing to her. Little did she know it was the Tardis, calling her Bad Wolf to join her and her Doctor. With a small peck-kiss to the corner of Mickey's mouth, Rose turned and ran into the Tardis where the Doctor was waiting for her...

**T.B.C.**

* * *

*A/N: I know I have already said in the previous chapters when referring to Gallifrey that it's the Doctor's fault, [from _End of Time_]. However, given his knack for running away, I'm going to stop that now. I figure he is trying his best to forget that part- pretend, even in his thoughts.

*A/N: Missy: A best friend's roommate (& my friend) is named Missy. They're the ones who got me into _**Doctor Who**_. I'll use my friend's name later, as it will fit better later. Thanks girls!

*Blue: I know that they say in "The Doctor's Wife" that the Tarids's name is "Sexy" but I just couldn't use it. So, given that she has been in the shape of a Blue Box for centuries, her name is now "Blue". I always wanted to use that!

Check out the Poll, please.

Review, it only takes a minute!


	5. 4 End of the World 1

I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN

DISCLAIMERS: This is a sandcastle I built in BBC's sandbox. The sand is BBCs, the castle is mine.

Direct quotes and scenes were taken from the episode "End of the World."

I came up with my own chapter name, but decided to stick with episode tittles for reader's benefit.

This episode contains a computerized voice giving announcements. If they are included they are in _Italics_, usually all capitalized, depending on the content.

* * *

CHAPTER 4: **END OF THE WORLD part 1**

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

"_Exactly," she told Mickey. Really, what had he done for her the past two days but think of himself? She was "nearly killed" in an explosion and he wanted to go to the pub after 5 minutes of checking on her. She had let him, but still it hurt a bit. And they were all in danger and his first thought was himself, not her, while the Doctor was concerned first and foremost with her safety, before the rest of the planet, even though they just met. She wanted to experience more of that devotion._

_She would be back, but the call of adventure was singing to her. Little did she know it was the Tardis, calling her Bad Wolf to join her and her Doctor. With a small peck-kiss to the corner of Mickey's mouth, Rose turned and ran into the Tardis where the Doctor was waiting for her..._

"Right, then, Rose Tyler, you tell me- where do you want to go, backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice, what's it gonna be?" the Doctor asked. He liked to give his new traveling companions the option of picking where to go, give them a bit of a test, see what they liked.

"Oh, forwards," Rose said after a moment. She shook her head a bit, as if she couldn't make up her mind, but picked a direction anyway. He liked that. It probably meant there was too much she wanted to see.

"How far?" he asked her.

Rose thought a moment. How far did she want to go? She wanted to be able to go far enough that there would be new technology, new things to discover, see how far mankind progressed. At the rate they were going these days, she didn't need to go too far, did she?

"One hundred years," she finally decided. A nice round figure.

The Doctor quickly set to manning the controls around the Tardis. Rose had no clue what they did, but he knew. The coordinates were entered and off they went through the Time Vortex to London in the year 2105. The ride was a little bumpy, but at this close range it was practically smooth sailing even if Rose didn't know it yet. Rose followed the Doctor's example and held on to the console, just in case.

The Doctor was smiling wider than he had in a while. It had been decades since he had had someone in the Tardis, to take to the wonders of the universe, to impress, to teach. "There you go, step outside those doors. It's the 22nd century." he said with a grin as they landed.

"You're kidding," Rose said.

"That's a bit boring, though. Do you wanna go further?" he asked her, challenge in his voice.

"Fine by me," she said with a smile, rising to his challenge.

The Doctor went around the controls again pressing, pushing, pulling whatever was needed to take them to whatever time he had chosen was appropriately interesting for her first trip. Again they both held onto the console fairly lightly, so as not to lose their balance.

"Ten thousand years in your future. Step outside," the Doctor offered, pointing to the Tardis doors again, "it's the year 12,005. The new Roman Empire." He leaned on the console with a small smirk, looking at Rose. '_Let's see_ _what she thinks of this __one,' _he thought.

"You think you're so impressive," Rose said with a smile, shaking her head.

"I _am _so impressive," the Doctor replied, his smile turning into a small pout, as if she'd insulted him.

"You wish," Rose said jokingly, still smiling at him.

"Right then," the Doctor bounced back, smile back in place. "You asked for it. I know exactly where to go." She wanted fireworks, did she? Grand shows and lots of aliens, or something? Well, let her get a taste of the biggest explosion ever seen on her planet.

The Tardis knew exactly what the Doctor was thinking, where he was going to take Rose and fully understood why, even if _he _didn't. He wanted her to understand as much as possible, what it was like for him. If it had been anyone else, the Tardis might have gone somewhere else. But her Wolf could handle this, in time. She would be able to be there for him after she had seen this. Besides, the Tardis was sensing trouble there.

Rose was excited. She had pushed the Doctor to take her somewhere absolutely amazing. She didn't want to go to the first place he thought of, she wanted him to be spectacular, stellar, as she was sure he could be. So she'd pushed his buttons a bit, and now he was setting the controls to go somewhere "impressive".

"Hold on," the Doctor said. This trip was proving to be far bumpier than the previous two trips, and all had been far more bumpy than the "London hops" Rose had done before. '_I wonder if the ride gets bumpier the further you go? I guess I'll have to wait __and see,_' Rose thought. They finally arrived and the ship settled.

"Where are we?" she asked the Doctor. He just pointed to the doors, a wide smile on his face. "What's out there?" He just continued to point before pulling his arm back and folding them across his chest, his smile now smug. It was clear he was going to wait until she went outside and not answer her question before.

Rose took the hint, and made her way to the Tardis doors, smiling all the way. She walked cautiously and took a few hesitant steps outside the door. She couldn't figure out where she was. She noticed what look like a vent off to one side of the room, but other than that, she was on unfamiliar ground.

The Doctor had followed her out. He made his way over to a panel of some sort pulling something out of his jacket and making some sort of adjustment to the panel, if Rose was any judge. The window in front of them, which had been covered with some sort of shield, was now visible. Rose was shocked to see that they were clearly on a ship or space station in orbit around the Earth, because there, in view below them, was the Earth. She never thought she'd see it like this, from orbit with her own eyes. It was amazing.

The Doctor made his way over to her, looking out at the Earth. "You lot," he said, "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're gonna be killed by eggs or beef or Global Warming or asteroids. But you never take the time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive.

"This is the year 5.5/Apple/26- five billion years in your future. And this is the day- hold on," he said, breaking off to look at his watch.

Rose had finally turned to look at him. She knew he had a point. Not that he was right, but he did have a point. _'Most of us are so caught up in our daily lives, the trivial things that happen to us. The few that think about the future tend to focus on the negative, "How will we die?" not "What will we achieve?" Even me,'_Rose thought.

The Doctor turned back to the window, and so did Rose as she noticed a big flash of light. Looking closer, she noticed that the sun just got brighter, or bigger, or something. "This is the day the sun expands," the Doctor told her, gazing at the now reddish sun.

"Welcome to the End of the World," he said, turning to look at her. He was slightly concerned with how she would take his choice of destination. He wasn't heartless. But he needed her to see this.

Rose didn't know what to think of his choice of destination. Taking her to the sun expansion? When it would grow to destroy the planets in her solar system? Of all the places and times he could show her, he chooses the destruction of her planet?! But then she has to ask herself, why. '_Why would he take me here, to see this?_' Rose thought, and decided to wait it out.

* * *

_EARTH DEATH IS SCHEDULED FOR 15:39, FOLLOWED BY DRINKS IN THE MANCHESTER SUITE._

Rose and the Doctor heard the announcements overhead stating that guests were arriving on shuttles and the time "Earth Death" was scheduled for. He began to make his way around the space station.

"So when it says 'guests,' does that mean people?" asked Rose.

"Depends what you mean by 'people'," the Doctor answered her.

"I mean people. What do you mean?"

The Doctor decided to give the girl a break and answer her question, despite the fact that she still phrased it wrong. He even went so far as to phrase it in a way she'd get it. "Aliens," he said.

"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?"

"It's not really a spaceship. More like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

"What for?"

"Fun," he answered simply.

"Mind you, when I say 'the great and the good' what I mean is the rich."

"But, hold on, they did this once, on _'Newsround Extra'_, the sun expanding- that takes hundreds of years," Rose said, confused as to how it could all happen in one day. She may not know all kinds of science stuff like Mickey and his computers, but she did know some stuff.

"Millions," the Doctor clarified. The two of them were now in an observation room with a big window, and they stood gazing out at the Earth. "But the planet's now the property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there?" he pointed. "Gravity satellites holding back the sun."

Rose could just see the satellites the Doctor pointed out. But she also noticed one other thing that struck her as strange, "The planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things."

He knew Rose was a smart girl. "They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the moneys run out, nature takes over." he explained to her.

"How long's it got?" she asked.

Looking at his watch he answered, "About half an hour, then the planet gets roasted." he sounded completely unconcerned.

"Is that why we're here? I mean is that what you do- jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" asked Rose, hoping to find the reason behind his cavalier attitude.

Turning to face her, he was almost in her face as he answered, wanting her to understand. "I'm not saving it. Times up."

Rose couldn't believe him. "But what about the people?"

"It's empty," he explained, gentler, "They've all gone, all left." he told her.

"Just me, then," Rose said, calming down. If no one was going to be harmed by the sun's expansion, then there was no reason to fight. She would be sorry to see it go but supposed it would be there when she got home. She still didn't understand why he had chosen this of all things to show her.

"Who the hell are you," came a voice from behind them.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," the Doctor, replied sarcastically. Sarcasm. It was apparently a favorite of this incarnation's. His other incarnations had used it in the past, but only a few, and only sometimes. His current self seemed _extremely _fond of it.

"But how did you get in," said the alien, coming up to the Doctor. Rose took a moment to observe him. He looked mostly human, as far as she could tell, except for one glaring difference: he had blue skin, or whatever his equivalent was. "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way, any second now-" He clearly didn't like it when things didn't go according to plan.

The Doctor interrupted the annoyed alien, "No, that's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation," the Doctor said, holding up something to the blue alien. Rose didn't know what it was, but trusted the Doctor to get them out of this. "Look, there, you see. It's fine, you see. 'The Doctor, plus one.' I'm the Doctor. This is Rose Tyler. She's my 'plus one.' Is that all right?"

"Well, obviously," said a stunned alien. "Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." The man turned around and left.

The Doctor held up the paper he had shown to the steward and showed it to Rose. "The paper's slightly psychic, shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time," he explained quietly to Rose.

"He's blue," was all Rose could say. She knew it was a bit obvious, and a bit dumb, but she was a still a little shocked.

"Yeah," replied the Doctor.

"Okay," she said. '_Just deal with it, and move on. At least it was something humanoid._' Rose thought.

"We have in attendance the Doctor and Rose Tyler," they heard the steward announce. "Thank you, all staff to their positions. Thank you. And now might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute, and Coffa. There will be an exchanging of gifts representing peace."

_Trees? _Rose thought. She was doubly shocked to see what appeared to be sentient, walking, _Tree-like _"people" entering the room.

The rest of the guests were no less strange. A short fat blue man, so fat he apparently used a 'hover-chair' Rose guessed it was, and he had a rather large head. Then some tall beings in cloaks. Followed by two large reptilian-like creatures, beings, whatever. Two more beings with metal-like faces, or maybe masks over their faces. The next two beings seemed to have descended from some sort of bird, though they were tall and had two legs, or appeared to. The next two she couldn't begin to guess at but had large, almost-grotesque heads.

By this time she noticed the Tress had made their way over to them. Jabe, their apparent leader, if the way she walked in the front and between the other two was any sign similar to humans, spoke to the Doctor. "The gift of peace. I bring you a cutting of my grandfather."

The Doctor, more used to unusual differences in customs, took the offering and simply said, "Thank you." He handed the cutting to Rose. Coming up with nothing in his pockets to give, he finally settled on the only thing he could. "Yes, gifts. Um... I give you in return, air from my lungs." He blew a breath. It was all he could think of, and would at least be useful to the Trees.

"How... intimate," Jabe said. '_Was it?' _the Doctor thought, baffled by her insinuation.

"There's more where that came from," he said jokingly, wanting to relieve the tension.

"I bet there is," Jabe said, still using that seductive tone.

Rose didn't know what to make of their behavior. _'Had the Doctor intended his gift to be taken like that? Did he mean to flirt with Jabe, so obviously, right in front of me? Was he gonna invite her along too?' _Rose suddenly had no more time to think on it, and for that she was glad. Right then the steward announced that the sponsor for this event had arrived. '_"The Face of Boe?" Who was that?_' Rose thought. The "Face of Boe" was apparently a giant head, held inside a glass jar.

The Face of Boe himself looked over to see the Doctor and Rose standing over on the side. He had not seen either of those faces in a _very, __**very **_long time. He knew he would see them again, before he finally died for the last time. He couldn't believe how close he was to that day. It was interesting to see the two of them now, at the start of their journey. Rose looked so overwhelmed; he had never before seen her like that, especially in the Doctor's presence. It would be interesting to see a glimpse of the man the Doctor was, before he met Rose.

Rose was disgusted when the next "gift of peace" was spit on her face. The Doctor just smiled and continued on. The next gift was some strange metal ball. Rose at this point was just trying to remain polite and follow the Doctor's lead.

The steward introduced the last guest. "The last Human" Rose was horrified when it came in. And "it" seemed more appropriate than "she". Whatever it may be, all that was left was a thin stretch of skin. With Cassandra's brain preserved below. How that worked, Rose had no idea. '_How did she eat, where did the food go? Or did she not need food?_' Rose thought.

The Doctor was laughing. Oh, the things humans did to themselves, all in the name of _beauty_. This was ridiculous. He hoped Rose knew better than that. Natural looked better. At least Cassandra had a sense of humor.

As they began playing Soft Cell's _"Tainted Love" _on a mislabeled Jukebox, Rose looked around the room. Aliens to the left, aliens to the right, and aliens in front of her. Really _alien _aliens too. Not human-looking aliens like the Doctor. She was getting really overwhelmed and it was just too much. She suddenly felt closed in; she needed some air to breathe. Rose finally left the room to get some space. The Doctor watched her exit the room, worried about her.

**T.B.C.**...

* * *

AN: I know its a little short, but I had to break up the original chapter when it got way too long, again. Don't worry, chapter 5 is done. I'll send it to my Beta this week.

Do you guys prefer me to name chapters after the episodes, or my own names? I can do either.

All my reading this week has lead to some great brain storms for future episodes. So that's good.

Please Review!


	6. 5 End of the World 2

DISCLAIMERS: If I owned _**Doctor Who**_, Tennant would still be the Doctor! No offense to Smith, but Tennant is perfect Doctor material!

Thanks to **JKW** for her Beta work!

* * *

CHAPTER 5: **END OF THE WORLD part 2**

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

_As they began playing Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" on a mislabeled Jukebox, Rose looked around the room. Aliens to the left, aliens to the right, and aliens in front of her. Really alien aliens too. Not human-looking aliens like the Doctor. She was getting really overwhelmed and it was just too much. She suddenly felt closed in, she needed some air to breathe. Rose left the room to get some space..._

**D*W**

Rose had made her way to an empty room- what's its function was Rose had no idea- with a tall narrow window so she could look out at the Earth. When one of the blue aliens dressed like staff came in, Rose asked her if she needed to leave. She was floored to discover that the poor woman needed her permission even to talk; that wasn't right. But Rose gave her the permission and talked with her for a minute. Rose asked about where she came from, but since it wasn't a planet, she really couldn't understand the woman's explanation of what it _was_. The return question of where she came from surprised her.

"I don't know. A long way away," Rose told her. "I just sort of hitched a lift with this man. I didn't even think about it. I don't even know who he is. He's a complete stranger." Rose said, realizing this for the first time. It was hitting her that here she was, in the year five billion with someone she barely knew. What happens if something goes wrong? What if something happens to him, and he dies or something? She'd be trapped!

She knew nothing about this strange alien she had followed to the "End of the World". He could be anyone. She didn't know his name, other than "Doctor". She didn't even know his species! She had no idea what his home planet was called or any idea what his people were like. If they ran into trouble, she would have no idea how to help him if he got hurt or something.

**D * W**

The Doctor had been a bit concerned when Rose had suddenly taken off. Apparently it had all become just a little bit too much for her. But he didn't want her wandering off all on her own; anything could happen to her if she did _that_. He was delayed first by Jabe, and then the Steward wanting the Tardis moved. Finally, he was able to track her down; she was in the room the Tardis had landed in sitting on the edge of the raised platform. He joined her.

"What do you think, then?" he asked her.

"Great, yeah. Fine," Rose answered. Her tone indicated that something was bothering her despite her words. "Once you get past the slightly-psychic paper," both of them laughed a bit at that.

"They're just so... alien," Rose finally said. "The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em; and they're alien." They didn't even look remotely human, like the Doctor did. She didn't meant to be difficult, but it did take some getting used to. This _was _her first experience with aliens, besides the Doctor.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," the Doctor quipped. No, not a place to take someone who didn't like the look of non-humans. Talk about throwing someone into the deep end! She'd definitely have trouble adjusting to that.

Rose turned to him and suddenly was giving him a hard look. It was a stronger look than she had been wearing earlier. This was the look of a fighter. "Where are you from?" she asked.

_'Where did this come from? Why did she have to ask about _that_? The one subject I want to avoid most of all,' _the Doctor thought. He did _**not **_want to discuss Gallifrey with her. Not now at any rate.

"All over the place," he told her, looking down at his hands. He had been traveling around the universe for over six hundred years now. So it was true, sort of. For some odd reason he didn't want to outright lie to her.

"They all speak English," Rose commented, moving on for the moment. Obviously, questions about his past troubled him greatly, or at least questions about his home did. She had been thinking briefly about how she could understand everyone. Why would everyone still speak an English she could recognize after all his time?

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the Tardis. Telepathic field, gets inside your brain, translates," the Doctor explained to Rose, glad that she had dropped the questions about his origins. He laid back on his elbow to look at her, glad to brag about his ship.

"It's inside my brain?" she asked him, with a hard edge in her voice.

"Well, in a good way," he defended.

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside, and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?" she said with anger rising. She had the right to know before some machine got into her head and started doing things to it. She _probably _would have said yes, but he should have asked. If this was happening without her knowledge, what else would he do before asking?

"I didn't think about it like that," the Doctor said. Really, what was the problem? It was something the Tardis did automatically to anyone in her range.

"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South. Who are you, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?" Rose asked quickly, demanding answers.

The Doctor's easygoing smile left at Rose's questioning. He wasn't ready to answer her, even the few questions that he could answer. He sat back up and looked out the window. "I'm just the Doctor," he said.

"From what planet?" she asked.

The Doctor was baffled as to why she even bothered to ask; she was a human from an era long before they traveled the stars. They still had a few more centuries before they developed the technology to take their place among the stars. What help would his planet's name be to her? "Well, its not as if you'd know where it is," he said.

"Where are you from?" she persisted.

"What does it matter?" he yelled. Gallifrey was gone; there was no going home. '_Drop it __Rose,' _he thought.

"Tell me who you are!" She yelled back.

"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right?" he yelled. "All that counts is here and now, and this is me."

"Yeah, and I'm here, too, 'cause you brought me here, so just tell me!"

Rather than continue arguing with her, he stood up a stormed down to the windows staring out at the stars. He wished that his home system in the constellation of Kasterborous could still be seen among them, but he wasn't even granted that small luxury. He watched the Earth and wished humans could grasp what names meant in Gallifreyan society. But it took too much out of him to even try to explain.

After a few moments, Rose got up and went over to stand next to the Doctor. She wished he'd open up to her, tell her something about himself. But clearly his scars went very deep, so deep he couldn't even talk about who he was or where he came from. She supposed it could be as simple as he didn't know-but Rose doubted that was the case, he was reacting all wrong for that scenario. She decided to drop it for now.

"All right. As my mate Shareen says, 'Don't argue with the designated driver.' Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal," Rose said, having pulled out her phone just to prove her point. She knew there wouldn't be a signal; all the cell towers and satellites that the mobile phone used to receive a signal were long gone. "We're out of range. Just a bit."

Rose's change of topic had actually managed to get the Doctor's mind off his depressing thoughts. He smiled as she mentioned being unable to call a taxi. He heard the beeps her phone was making, and looking over he saw her playing with it. That gave him an idea to make it up to her, just a bit. "Tell you what. With a little bit of jiggery pokery– ," he said, taking her phone and pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"Is that a technical term, 'Jiggery pokery'?" Rose asked, with a teasing smile on her face.

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery," he replied, loving the banter. "What about you?"

"No, I failed Hullabaloo," Rose returned.

"Aw. There you go," he said, as he finished his work on her phone. Now she would be able to call any one at any time, from anywhere during any time. It was referred to by his last friend from a similar time period as a "super-phone".

Rose took a second to call her mum, hearing her voice made her feel closer to normal, even being so far. But after she hung up it hit her. "That was five billion years ago. She's dead now, five billion years later, my mum's dead," Rose said.

"Bundle of laughs you are," the Doctor said.

Suddenly she entire deck shook. The Doctor's attention then shifted. "That's not supposed to happen," he said to Rose.

* * *

_ALL GUESTS MAY BE REASSURED THAT GRAVITY POCKETS MAY CAUSE SLIGHT TURBULENCE. THANK YOU._

The Doctor led Rose back toward the reception area so he could check Platform One's systems. "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets, and they don't feel like that. What do you think, Jabe?" he said, turning to the Tree that had approached the two of them. "Listen to the engines. They've pitched up about 30 hertz. Is that dodgy, or what?"

"Its the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." The pretty Tree-lady replied.

"Where's the engine room?"

"I don't know. But the maintenance duct is just behind or guest's suite. I could show you. And...your wife?" Jabe said in a questioning tone, clearly fishing for information.

"Oh, she's not my wife," the Doctor said quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. He didn't like the train of thought that question had just set his mind off on. '_Impossible,_' he told himself firmly.

"Partner?" She asked again, clearly referring to a more sexual reference.

"No," No, Rose was not his partner, not even in a purely friendly and "Saving the world" sense. Not yet at least. Maybe soon she could be. But somehow he thought that she would mean more than the word implied someday soon.

"Concubine?"

"No! Not at all," the Doctor said quickly. He didn't want anyone thinking that about Rose. She was already so much more than anyone else had been to him in a long time.

"Prostitute?" Jabe continued to question.

The Doctor was about to protest, but Rose beat him to it. "Whatever I am, it must be invisible. Do you mind?" she said rather crossly, glaring a bit at the Tree. The Doctor liked her attitude; no one could look down on her, she wouldn't let them.

"Tell you what. You two go and pollinate. I'm gonna go catch up with the family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." Rose said, pointing to Cassandra.

"Don't start a fight," the Doctor called after her. "I'm all yours," he said to Jabe offering her his left arm.

"And I want you home by midnight," he heard Rose call after him. He inwardly smiled at that. He wondered if she would be around long enough to think of the Tardis as her home. He quite liked that thought.

_EARTH DEATH IN 15 MINUTES._

Rose did go and have a few words with Casandra. She discovered that the piece of skin was _not _the last human, the rest and spread out throughout the universe and evolved. Whereas Casandra had kept herself back and had surgery after surgery in some vain attempt to remain "pure human". Rose had a fit when she commented that she needed work; she'd never live like that. What was the point? So Rose had technically started a fight, saying that she was the last human being in the room-and then she left.

The Doctor meanwhile was discovering that there was no help to be had if anything went wrong with the computer or any other system. "Unsinkable," the last time he was on a ship that was unsinkable he ended up clinging to an iceberg. He supposed that was but a forgotten footnote to these people anymore.

As he checked the systems Jabe told him that she had figured out what he was. He had not even spoken the name of his planet, or his people, out loud since that day decades ago when he lost his homeworld. But he appreciated her concern and sympathy all the same.

They found the engine room and a small spider-like sabotage droid. Jabe was able to grab it for him and the two headed to the steward's office. Reaching the corridor where his office was they noticed a dramatic increase in temperature and smoke covered the area. He ran to the controls, pulling the rest of the short alien staff back. "All right. Hold on, get back," he said clearing the way.

_Sunfilter rising. Sunfilter rising..._

"Is the steward in there?" asked Jabe, shocked and horrified.

"You can smell him," the Doctor answered. Well, _he _could anyway. "Hold on. There's another sunfilter programmed to descend." The Doctor quickly took off in the direction of the other room that would soon be a death trap.

When he got there he could see the smoke building, like before, and he quickly ran to the control panel with his sonic screwdriver in hand. "Is anyone in there?" he asked, after hearing banging coming from the other side of the door.

Rose had finished talking with Cassandra and had stormed off down the corridors to be on her own and think. She had been knocked on the head and had woken up alone in this room. She had quickly realized that she was in grave danger from the sun and had tried to get out-only to discover the door was locked. Still, she banged on the door, hoping _someone _on board might come along and hear her. She was more than relieved when she heard her Doctor's voice on the other side of the door. She knew if anyone could save her now it would be him.

"Open the door! Let me out!" said a voice that almost made the Doctor's hearts stop. '_**Rose! **__How did she get herself into this mess?! Oh, Rassilion, something tells me I'm gonna have my hands full with this one,' _the Doctor thought.

But he pushed down his worry and focused on saving her. "Oh, well, it would be you," he said, joking. If he didn't joke at times like these, he'd have gone nuts long ago, or would curl up in a ball crying in these situations and be of no use to anyone, least of all Rose.

"Open the door!" Rose shouted again. He could barely tell through the metal door, but her voice sounded afraid and very urgent. He had to _hurry!_

Rose knew the heat from the sun was getting stronger in here; if she didn't get out of here soon she's be vaporized! She trusted the Doctor, she _**did**_, but time was running out.

"Hold on. Give us two ticks," he told her, letting her know he wasn't out here doing nothing, he was just having more trouble than he should be having while fixing this.

_Sunfilter Descending. Sunfilter Descending. _That stupid message was starting to piss him off. Finally the Doctor managed to trip the controls back.

_Sunfilter Rising. Sunfilter Rising. _Both him and Rose breathed a sigh of relief- for a moment. He was just about to give another cocky smile when he heard a click.

Followed by the computer announcing: _Sunfilter Descending._

"This is just what we need," said the Doctor, "The computer's getting clever."

"Stop mucking about!" Rose fairly shrieked at him, pounding on the door.

"I'm not mucking about. It's fighting back!" He yelled back, worry increasing. If this kept up, Rose could be dead in seconds.

"Open the door!" Rose shouted yet again. Finally, she had to leave the area by the door, or she'd be vaporized. She dashed to what little protection the steps might offer her, crouching down to hide from the super-heated sunlight that was breaking through at the top of the window.

"I know!" the Doctor called back. He knew; he was working as fast as he could. He couldn't lose Rose, especially not now.

Finally he managed to get it and went back to see about getting her out of there. He could tell right away it would be rather useless, right now. And he feared that this was only the beginning, he had to go see what he could do to stop it. "The whole thing's jammed, I can't open the doors. Stay there. Don't move," he told her. She only made some sarcastic remark right back-letting him know she was tough enough to handle this.

_EARTH DEATH IN 5 MINUTES_

To discover that this whole thing had been a plot by Cassandra to get more money so she can continue to look the way she does, _really _pissed the Doctor off. But then she teleported out of there and took down the shields. Leaving the Doctor with less than 3 minutes in which to save them.

Back in the engine room with Jabe, he realized the computer reset switch was on the other side of the three huge rotating fans that were spinning out of control as Platform One heated up. Jabe offered to hold down a switch that slowed them down, but he knew it would kill her. The heat would pump through this place and if she was holding onto something, she'd burn.

"So stop wasting time, Time Lord," Jabe said. It was the first time someone had called him that in years. He gave her a big smile and headed off. By the time he reached the third fan Jabe could no longer hold on to the lever; and she caught fire and burned. He had to slip into using his extra time-senses to get past the third fan; he rarely needed to use them like this, but the fan would kill him otherwise.

With only seconds left, he made it through the blades and pulled the switch, "Raise shields!" he said. The shields came on-line just in time before the sun ripped the planet apart. He turned around and slowly made his way back to where Jabe had been-only ashes remained of the kind Tree.

D * W

Rose meanwhile had been struggling to stay out of the rays of sun that had been breaking through the window. Finally a computerized voice said_"Exoglass repaired"_and the danger seemed to be over. Rose assumed that the Doctor had saved them. Finally, she could get out of that room. Walking into where the reception had been, she could tell that not everyone had been as lucky as her during the crisis.

The Doctor came striding in moments later, an angry and solemn look about him. He made his way over to the other two Tree-men and told them something. Rose could not hear what was said but given the looks of grief being passed, she figured that the other one-Jabe-had been killed.

The Doctor left them to their grief and made his way back to Rose. "You all right?" she asked him, concerned. This was why he liked her. She had likely only just barely made it out of that room alive, and yet she was asking him if _**he **_was alright!

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said shortly. He was pissed, beyond pissed; he was furious. All this pain and suffering and loss for what? Money and looks. He was just glad Rose had made it through her first ordeal okay.

"I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one: teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two: this feed must be hidden nearby," he said, now walking over to the "last remaining ostrich egg" that Cassandra had brought with her. Breaking it, he found exactly what he was expecting, a teleportation feed.

"Idea number three: if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed," he said, putting words to actions and reversing the feed with his sonic screwdriver and bringing Cassandra back to Platform One.

She tried to make an excuse, but as he said, "People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them!"

She gave no remorse, just continued to say how she would get out of it, by putting on a show in court. And so he gave her no mercy, in return. The skin that was all that was left of her creaked and dried out in the room's increased temperature. But Rose, how forgiving and compassionate was her heart, that she asked him to help her? But he couldn't, wouldn't.

"Everything has its time, and everything dies," he said. Everything. Even the universe someday. But today was Cassandra's day; her skin exploded over the two of them. The Doctor turned around and walked away.

Sometime later, after he had cooled off, he found Rose staring out at the pieces of the Earth drifting past the window. "The end of the Earth," she said in a quiet voice. "It's gone. And we were so busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go." She sounded like she had been crying, just a bit.

The Doctor stared out the window for a moment, thinking about what had happened to his own beloved planet, Gallifrey. Sometimes he still couldn't believe it was gone. But the _silence _told him it was, completely and utterly and he could not go back, even to visit. He could never go home again. However, the same wasn't true for Rose. She could go visit any time or place she wanted, even go back to London 2005, if she wanted.

"All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking," Rose said.

Before she could say much else, he held out his hand to her, "Come with me," he said. She took his hand and he led her back to the Tardis. The Tardis gave Rose a comforting _hum _in response to her somber mood. As Rose entered the strange alien ship, she almost felt as if someone had just given her a comforting hug.

**T.B.C...**

* * *

A/N: I spent days debating what to do about Jabe; I hope you like what I settled on. But Hurray! First change I've made to the show! Minor though it was. I had thought it was too soon for changes and began to write the scene; the Doctor argued with me halfway through that scene. I agreed with his thoughts and, hey, they were _his_ lines.

I recommend you read: A Golden Rose

**Reviews make the TARDIS HUMM!**


	7. 6 Chip Chat

**DISCLAIMERS: **_**Doctor Who **_is still being reported as property of **BBC **and some other people who are not me. My mission to publish it in my own name must have failed! That Doctor must have corrected it. Didn't like what I did with him I guess. Oh, _whatever _will I do now?

This chapter contains direct scenes from _numerous _episodes; and references _several_ more. Those episodes don't belong to me. Yada yada yada.

**UPDATE:** Recently I have received new info that allowed me to perfect one part of this chapter. It doesn't change any events, But I felt the need to make the alterations. The change is in bold and is near the end of the chapter. (3/19/13)

CHAPTER 6: **CHIP CHAT**

* * *

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

"_All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking," Rose said._

_Before she could say much else, he held out his hand to her, "Come with me," he said. She took his hand and he led her back to the Tardis. The Tardis gave Rose a comforting_ hum _in response to her mood. As Rose entered the strange alien ship, she almost felt as if someone had just given her a comforting hug..._

**D * W**

The Doctor took her back to London the same year that she left, 2005. The two of them stepped out onto the street, looking around both lost in their own thoughts. Rose reminded herself that it would always be here for her.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete. But it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky," the Doctor told Rose, looking up at the painfully blue sky of Earth. He had decided to tell Rose about what he had lost, under that wonderful _orange _sky. She had just seen her own planet destroyed; if ever there was a time to tell her, it would be now.

"My planet's gone. Its dead," he said, not looking at her as he spoke, merely staring at nothing, at visions of that beautiful planet that only existed in his memory anymore. He could feel Rose's eyes on him, though. He looked down at her, and her eyes were filled with curiosity, but she said nothing, letting him choose how much to tell her. He liked that. "It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust. Before it's time."

Rose was shocked to learn that the Doctor's planet had be destroyed, as Earth in the future had. '_"Before it's time", he said. I guess that means something _other _than the natural end of it's life cycle._' Rose thought. He looked so lost and sad, clearly missing his home. '_I guess this is why he was so reluctant to discuss his past before. It must bring up painful memories. I wonder why he can't go back and visit it in the past like I can. Its obvious he can't, or he wouldn't be so sad about it, but I wonder why._'

"What happened?" Rose finally asked. When he looked at her again he saw compassion in her eyes.

"There was a war, and we lost," he said simply, looking out into the distance but seeing nothing but the past. He couldn't go into details, not now. The only thing that had got him through afterwards had been the knowledge that his people took the universe's greatest enemy down with them.

"A war with who?" Rose asked. The Doctor remained silent. Maybe someday he might talk to her about it, not now. '_I'm not ready yet,_' he thought.

Rose noticed the Doctor's silence and reluctance to mention them any further. Rose let it be for now, and changed tracks. "What about your people?" she asked.

He finally turned to look at her. "I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own 'cause there's no one else," he said.

"There's me," came a voice beside him. He smiled sadly at her. Comforted somewhat despite himself. He gave her a thankful look, with the closest thing to a smile he could muster.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" he offered her a way out anyway.

Rose looked uncertain for a moment. "I don't know. I want..." She broke off and took several sniffs of the air. "Oh, can you smell chips?" she asked him.

And he had to laugh at that. _Rassilon _how he loved that she could do that! One minute its all doom a gloom, the next it's joking and smiles. He let the mood in him lift at bit. "Yeah, yeah," he said, chuckling.

"I want chips," Rose said.

"Me too," he told her.

"Right, then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay." Rose said firmly.

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "No money," he said.

"What sort of date are you?" she asked with a smile. "Come on, then, tightwad. Chips are on me. We've only got 5 billion years till the shops close," she said and smiled a cheeky smile that had her tongue poking out between her teeth. The Doctor decided there and then he would do whatever it took to put that smile on her face as often as possible. He'd give anything to see that smile more often.

Rose took his hand as they walked down the street, vowing to be there for him if he needed her for anything. She had all of planet earth, her mum, Mickey. But the Doctor was alone, except for the Tardis and her-she couldn't leave him. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked, offering what comfort she could give, whatever he might take.

He just smiled with her as they walked down the street to the nearest chip shop. When they walked in the doors, Rose went up to the counter and placed her order: two servings of chips and two cokes. They took their chips out side to a park bench where they could eat and talk in peace.

Rose desperately wanted to ask the Doctor about his home planet, but didn't want to push him. So she sat there in silence for a while, debating different questions she could ask. She immediately eliminated any questions about this war that had cost him his homeworld. It was clearly a painful topic and she wanted to bring up more bitter-sweet topics, rather than just painful ones. The trouble was she didn't know what direction the conversation might take, anything she asked could bring him back to the war.

The Doctor studied Rose, discretely. He could tell that she was thinking about something. He figured she was probably trying to find a polite way to continue asking him questions. He hoped she wouldn't push. Although, he did feel less heavy since he had spoken. Who knows, talking might just do him some good.

"So what do you want to ask?" he finally asked Rose. She looked a little startled, neither of them had spoken for several minutes now.

Rose gave him a slight smile, thankful he had cut off her internal debate. "What was it called, your planet?" she asked him, as gently as she could manage. She vowed to herself not to push him too hard for any answers, it wasn't really her business after all.

The Doctor stayed quiet for a minute, wondering if he should answer. It felt like an insult to his people that he should speak the name now. But it also felt like an insult to this wonderfully compassionate human girl not to answer. He swallowed, finally settling on answering her. "Gallifrey, it was called. Gallifrey, in the constellation of Kasterborous, not that you could ever see them from here."

"Tell me about it, please?" Rose asked him.

He looked up at her, then his eyes drifted skyward, and he began to talk. "The sky was burnt-orange. The mountains went on forever, with steep slopes of deep-red grass, capped with snow. And there between the Mountains of Solace of Solitude was the Citadel of the Time Lords, enclosed in a mighty glass dome that shined under the twin suns.

"As a child I grew up in a small estate on the foothills of those mountains. My family was quite a prominent one in Gallifreyan society; except for me, of course, I was always a rebel. I was even exiled a couple of times. Then, again, I was also elected President twice, so they couldn't quite make up their mind about my exorbitant behavior." Rose giggled a bit as he actually sounded more outraged or disgusted at being elected president than being exiled.

"The forest was amazing, and I loved to wander into it. The leaves on the trees were silver, the bark was orange, and when they caught light every morning it looked like the forest had caught fire." His eyes were clearly looking and things not seen, but remembered. Rose could just see a hit of tears that he didn't let drop enter his eyes. She reached over and grabbed his hand in a show of unspoken support. He squeezed back in recognition.

"The second sun would rise in the south and the mountains would shine. When autumn came the wind blowing through the branches sounded like a song. The oceans of lavender water would smell so sweet, the few times I went to the beaches.

"Days on Gallifrey w-were longer, due largely to our binary system; we had a 34 hour day verses your 24 hour day. Daylight lasted for 31 out of 34 hours. By the time we reach adulthood, we no longer need but one hour of sleep a day, as long as we get about 4 hours a week we're good. We have a longer life-span than humans too." Rose noticed that his voice had started to break in a few places as he talked. She couldn't imagine how hard this must be on him. So she just squeezed his hand harder.

"The TARDIS fields- where the Taridses were grown- had dozens of Taridses at different stages of growth, and you could _feel _them develop. That's 'cause Taridses are telepathic, as I said, and so are Time Lords. N-n-no matter where I was I could hear my people, and access the Matrix, which is sort of like a mental library where we had access to all the knowledge of the Time Lords. But all that was lost."

As he remembered how much his family and people used be with him while he was off-world, his throat finally closed up, and he could speak no more. He kept quiet for a few minutes, and Rose let him. He looked over at her to see her looking off into nothing, just trying to imagine what it had been like on Gallifrey.

"It sounds beautiful. You must miss it very much," she said. She had tons of questions rattling around her head right now, but didn't want to voice them. She wanted to know why he couldn't visit Gallifrey in the past like she could. She wanted to know how long his people lived, how old he was, how much family he had lost- so many questions. But she didn't want to pry. She wanted to give him time to recover himself then see if he was up to answering her questions some other time.

"Yeah," he said.

* * *

**D*W**

Noticing that they had finished their chips the Doctor looked at her. "You want to head back to the Tardis? I imagine you're gonna want to get some sleep before we head anywhere else, yeah?" he asked her, remembering that it had been late at night when he had picked her up, and an eventful day for her, too.

"Yeah, that would probably be best," Rose agreed. She _was _getting a little tired.

The Doctor stood up and held his hand out for Rose to take. That was quickly becoming a habit, one he rather liked. He led the way back to the Tardis and unlocked the door. Once they were in he led her back past the console room and down the hall to one of the more human sitting rooms. He took a seat on one of the sofas and patted the cushion next to him for her to take. She did.

Not wanting to talk more about Gallifrey or the Time Lords further at the moment he decided to change the subject before Rose could ask anything more. He'd be willing to talk to her more about it- another time. He decided now was a good time to talk to her about what had happened to the bright eyed Rose he had met as a child.

"Rose, do you remember what you wanted to do above all else, back when you were a kid, say six or seven years old," the Doctor asked her.

Rose was comfortably seated leaning on the Doctor on a couch in a very human-like sitting room in the Tardis. She supposed that it was for people like her who traveled with him. If he was older than he looked- he hadn't said how old- it was reasonable to think that he had been traveling for long enough that he might have picked up other people before. She didn't have exclusive rights to the Doctor. She figured he had rooms like this to make them feel more at home. She certainly liked it.

The room had a couple of comfy chairs, couches, small side-tables, even a television and what appeared to be a futuristic movie system. One wall had a couple of bookshelves that appeared to have various puzzles and games and books and other entertainment for people in groups or for solo entertainment.

Rose noticed that the Doctor had shifted the topic and decided that he had talked enough for one day. She had learned quite a lot about him, and she hoped she had only just got started. He had a big heart for someone who had lost so much. What confused Rose was his opening question.

"Well, I always wanted to go see the stars, ever since I can remember. I used to sneak out of the flat at night just so I could see the stars in the sky," Rose said, remembering the times she got in trouble for that. "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering how you went from that start-struck kid, to a girl who worked in a shop and felt she had no hope. And don't tell me otherwise, I saw it in your eyes, Rose," the Doctor said. It had been bugging him since he had met that little Rose. Where had her hope and wonder gone?

Rose sighed. She guessed that turnabout was only fair, but how did he even know to ask that? "I'll tell ya, if you tell me how ya even knew something had happened?"

"Ah, well, you know that after I asked you to come with me I was gone for what, ten seconds? Well, it may have been ten seconds for you, but for me it was closer to a couple hours. The Tardis took me to where she decided I needed to go: the Powell Estates, several years earlier. I met you, when you were only six or seven, I think. It was August 1993," he said.

"I would have been seven," Rose told him. "My birthday is May 7, 1986, so I would have been seven at the time."

"And 19, now, right?" he asked, wanting to remember when her birthday was, so he could be prepared to surprise her.

"For another two months, yes,"

"Right, anyway- I saw you outside after ten at night and I didn't think that was such a safe thing to do. I ended up going over and talking to you for a while, keeping a eye on you to make sure you didn't get into any trouble. You mentioned a desire to see the stars; you were so bright and hopeful. I just wondered what happened between then and when we met that made you lose that hope, that's all," the Doctor explained.

Rose sighed. She didn't like to think about that stupid decision she had made years ago that had basically thrown her life away. But the Doctor had spent the last half hour talking to her and opening up about what must be a painful subject for him, the least she could do was return the favor.

"Well, it all started with a new science teacher, Mr. Rigit. I didn't get along with him at all. My grades started slipping further and further and I just couldn't seem to grasp the concepts in his class. The worse I did in science the more confidence I lost, and it quickly spread to my other classes: English literature, Math, history, everything. I kept putting so much time into trying to understand in science it took away from my other classes till I was barely passing anything.

"By the time I was 17, I had finally had enough and only my mate Shareen was keeping me in school at all. Then I met this boy, Jimmy Stone. He convinced me to drop out of school and move in with him, got a job to help support his music 'career'; while I waited for him to 'hit the big time'. Well that was a mistake. Couple months later, I ended up in debt and working to pay off my debt while he ran around with some other girls and getting drunk.

"I wised up and moved back in with mum, and Mickey helped me pick up the pieces of my shattered heart and pull myself together. I finally got my debt paid off about six months back but can't really afford to go back to school. So that left me there, going no-where shop-girl. To stupid to go back to school anyway," Rose said, dejectedly.

The Doctor had listened carefully to her story. He had thought it might be something along those lines, given what he had overheard when the Tardis had landed a second time. He was right pissed that anyone had ever convinced this beautiful bright girl that she was _anything _but brilliant. Whoever that 'Mr. Rigit' was he had better hope he never ran into a certain Time Lord or said Time Lord might just wring his neck for destroying the confidence of this wonderful human. Same goes for one Jimmy Stone, only he'd throw in a kick to his dick for good measure, with steel-toed boots on! No one hurts his Rose.

"Rose, you are not stupid. You have a lot of street smarts, first of all, that are really helpful for the trouble I tend to run into everywhere I go. And I bet with the right kind of teacher, you could have just as much book smarts," the Doctor told her firmly.

"Oh, you're just saying that," Rose said, doubting her intelligence as she always did.

"I am not! I never flatter, Rose. If I say you're smart, then Rose, you–are–smart! I can prove it to you, if you like. I've got a huge library full of all kinds of books from all kinds of planets just down the hall. I bet I could have you prepped and ready to ace your A-levels in a year or two, depending on how much time-out from our adventures we take to get you ready. Or I could teach you things beyond that if you like, other subjects not found on Earth. What do you say?" the Doctor offered. He didn't like her feeling like she was less than worthy just because she lacked '_official _qualification'. So if that was what she needed to feel as smart as she was, then he would help her.

"Really?" she asked, amazed that he would offer to teach her. She just knew he would be a brilliant teacher, so she was quite ready to jump at the chance to learn other things from him.

"Really, I can have you hit the books on our off days, when you need a break from all the running. How about it?"

"I'd love it! Thank you!" Rose squealed, throwing her arm around his neck and hugging him.

The Doctor was startled at her affectionate reaction, but hesitantly he returned the hug, wrapping his arms around Rose. The lights in the Tardis brightened as the two embraced, showing her happiness as her Thief returned the hug from her Wolf. She was happy for her Thief and her Wolf, both of them had done some healing today, and more would come in time. She dimmed her lights even further after a moment to remind her Thief that his Rose needed rest.

"Rose, are you tired?" the Doctor asked, noticing the lights had dimmed and getting the hint.

"Yeah, it has been a long day. You may not need much sleep, but I could do with a good seven hours, not to mention a shower," she said.

"Follow me. We can discuss what subjects you want to pursue when we have time for a break," He smiled at her. He stood up and took her hand leading her out of the room.

The Tardis led them to the room she had created just for her Wolf, just down the hall from her Thief's room. The door was nicer than most, made of a wood found only on Gallifrey, as were all doors on this corridor, and had a rose carved into it, as well as 'Rose' written in Gallifreyan on the door. The Doctor was touched by the very homey touches the Tardis had made to the door to Rose's room.

"This is your room, Rose," he said to the sleepy human who was leaning on him. She perked up a bit at that. "The Tardis has made it specially for you, and has obviously taken a great liking to you, just look at your door. The wood is from the forests of Gallifrey, and you can see the rose, and this," he pointed to her name, "is Gallifreyan for 'Rose'. She's never done that for anyone else before." He smiled at Rose.

Rose reached out and touched her name, in the Gallifreyan writing. It was beautiful. "This is what your language looks like?" she asked him.

"Yes,"

"It's beautiful. My name has never looked so lovely. Thank you, Tardis," Rose said, stroking her name. The Doctor smiled at her again, squeezing her to his side giving her a half-hug. Rose was the first one he had ever travel with, non-Time Lord, who had accepted the Tardis as a living being right away. He was amazed by the wonderful human at his side.

Finally, Rose pushed the door open. The room looked very much like the one she had at home, only nicer and with all the changes and additions she had wished she could make over the years. The walls were colored a nice lavender that went well with the rest of the décor. The carpet was so soft her feet felt they were being massaged and was a beautiful royal purple that nicely complemented the walls. The bed was a queen size and covered with pink sheets that she would discover were softer than anything found on her Earth.

There was a wardrobe in a red-wood color, and a chest of drawers next to it on one wall. A small nightstand with a lamp was beside the bed. There was a small vanity complete with mirror and chair. There was a door opposite them that she found led to an in suite bathroom that was just as luxurious as her bedroom. The bath was colored in a light coral-orange and sea-green colors. It was like being at a beach, without the sand.

Stepping back into her bedroom she noticed that the ceiling was not typical plaster or even the Tardis' coral, but something similar to being at a planetarium. She could see all kinds of stars and constellations and it was breathtaking!

The Doctor just stood in the doorway watching Rose take it all in. When she saw the ceiling she seemed to stop breathing. He walked over to her and put his arm on her shoulder. "That, right there, those Blue and Green stars see them? That is the constellation Kasterborous, and those two the tip right there, that is where Gallifrey was, when it hung in the sky," he told her, pointing to the system in question.

"Oh, it's a beautiful constellation," she told him, reaching her arm around to hug him in comfort for all he had lost.

The Doctor explained the ceiling, "The Tardis can also show other constellations, such as your own _Solarours_, with Sol right in the middle. Or even just the system of Sol so that you can see the planets, if you get to feeling homesick. Just ask her and she can switch the view. I guess she wanted you to see the system we were discussing earlier for tonight.

"Now then," the Doctor said, pulling away slightly, "the Tardis should have put some clean clothes from her wardrobe in the drawers in here for you. Anything you need, just ask her and she should help you get it. Just don't insult her, she doesn't like that. If you need help finding your way to the control room tomorrow morning, just ask her to show you the way. My room is down the hall to the left- all the way down, last door on the left, but I will most likely be in the console room if you need me, okay?"

"Yeah," Rose said, "I should be okay. I'm just gonna take a shower and clean up. Then I'll get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Doctor. No going off and finding trouble without me, yeah?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Rose," he assured her. "Good night." The Doctor left for the console room, and a night of repairing things (that didn't need repairing).

After about half an hour of sitting in the control room alone, the Doctor was striving to ward off the mounting restlessness and melancholy. Without Rose's warm presence the room seemed darker and the ship colder- despite the fact that he had actually _raised _the internal temperature to a more comfortable human level.

**A Time Lord's internal body temperature was much cooler than for humans, around 59 degrees**** Fahrenheit****.** Consequently, when traveling alone he kept the ship several degrees cooler than was comfortable for humans, but which was more than comfortable for him. It helped to conserve energy on the Tardis. Since he was again traveling with a human he wanted her to be completely comfortable and had, therefore, raised the ships' internal temperature by fifteen degrees to around 57° Fahrenheit. It wouldn't be too chilly for Rose, and still wouldn't feel too warm for him- the blessings of a lower internal body temperature.

He finally decided to go ahead and start recording the messages for the Emergency Programs while Rose was asleep. Emergency Program One was the program designed to take his companion home in the event of a grave danger. He had very rarely needed to use it, and had been very thankful for thinking ahead and having it ready. The coordinates were pre-programed and saved, although they would be reset every time the Tardis landed back in London in Rose's own Timeline. All he needed was an appropriate message for her if he ever needed to activate the program.

It was a little soon, but better do it now and have it ready, than need it next time and not have it. As he recorded the message he tried not to imagine the fate of the Tardis if he ever needed to use this program. He also mentally apologized to the Tardis for leaving her to die if something should happen and he needed EP1. He hoped he never activated this message, but it was better to be prepared. He wanted a way to get Rose out of the danger zone if the worst should ever happen. He had other Emergency Programs for other, slightly less deadly, situations.

Emergency Program 2, for example, was the program designed for if he had been gravely injured and could not communicate with his companion. It was designed to take them to a safe harbor and stay until he recovered. It would protect his companion, in this case Rose, until he recovered and take her home if he didn't regain consciousness in three days.

Meanwhile, back in the depths of the Tardis, Rose turned to look in the shower and discovered all her favorite shower products were already on the shelves: her shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, razor, even the bubble bath she liked to use when she had the time to relax. Rose smiled and thanked the Tardis again for taking care of her. After taking her phone out and putting on her table by her bed, she pulled off her stinky clothes that she'd been wearing for over twenty hours (and through the heat-increased Platform One) and tossed them in the hamper in the corner of her bathroom.

After a long shower to relax from the hot sweaty day, Rose toweled off and entered her room and found a nightgown lay out on her bed already. Rose smiled again. "You're spoiling me, Tardis!" Rose laughed, slipping into the comfortable nightie. Within minutes she was in her bed and discovered that it was much softer than anything she had ever slept on before. It was what she imagined sleeping on a cloud would be like. Whatever the mattress what made of, it was not of technology currently found on Earth. The Tardis hummed a soft melody and soon Rose was fast asleep.

T.B.C...

* * *

A/N: **Most **of Gallifrey's details came from information revealed in episodes throughout the series since 2005. Some of it came from **my **imagination. There was one detail that came from _Wikipedia:_ the Matrix. That is canon and true Classic Who.

Nine was acting a bit OCC in this chapter. He's opening up when he's around Rose, but only with her.

Please leave a Review on your way out. I really want to know what you guys think about this chapter!

I recently discovered that a Time Lord has an internal Body Temp of 59 degrees F. I updated this chapter to match my discovery.

Mo


	8. 7 Flying Lessons

**I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN**

**DISCLAIMER: **Doctor Who belongs to BBC. This chapter uses scenes taken directly from the episode "**The Unquiet Dead**" by Mark Gatiss.

Thanks to **JKW **for her Beta Work.

CHAPTER 7: **FLYING LESSONS**

* * *

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

_...Within minutes she was in her bed and discovered that it was much softer than anything she had ever slept on before. It was what she imagined sleeping on a cloud would be like. Whatever the mattress what made of, it was not of technology currently found on Earth. The Tardis hummed a soft melody and soon Rose was fast asleep..._

**D * W**

The next morning Rose woke up feeling very refreshed. The bed had been so comfortable and the Tardis's humming had been very relaxing. She had a very restful sleep. Looking around her room she spotted a clock on the dresser. Looking at her watch, she noticed that it matched her own time- London time. She also saw a calendar on the wall marking the month and day for her, in London in her Timeline. She was thankful for these linear time touches, it would allow her to keep some semblance of how much linear time passed while she was with a time-traveling alien.

She got up and went through the drawers to see what clothes the Tardis had provided. She found plenty of T-shirts in a style she liked with jeans and shorts to wear with them. She also found a drawer full of underthings, including knickers- which was good seeing as she didn't want to go commando, and she didn't want to wear her dirty knickers either. In the wardrobe she found nicer blouses and some dresses and skirts, though not many, as if the Tardis knew that Rose didn't often wear those kinds of things. She also found several kinds of shoes she might like to wear, and everything was in her size.

Rose quickly dressed in fresh knickers and one of the bras the Tardis provided with a mental '_thanks_' to the Tardis for the fresh clothes. She put on a pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt that had a floral design on the front. Grabbing a pair of socks from the drawer, she dabbed her favorite lotion on her hands and rubbed it on her feet before putting her socks on. Then, she found a pair of sneakers that matched her shirt in the wardrobe and put them on-they were comfy!

Finding a hairbrush on her dresser, she ran it through her hair. She carefully applied her makeup as per usual-mascara and eyeliner, to bring out her eyes, and a touch of lip gloss and blush. Looking in the mirror, Rose was satisfied with her appearance. She had no idea where they would go today and was looking forward to another adventure. '_But first I'd better eat some breakfast,_' Rose thought.

She grabbed her jacket and left her room and looked out into the hallway. But, having no idea where anything was, she wasn't sure which way to go. She had been half asleep when the Doctor had escorted her to her room last night. Then she remembered what the Doctor said about finding things on this ship. "Tardis, can you help me find a kitchen so I can get some breakfast, please?" Rose asked the open air.

The lights around her brightened and then the lights to the left went dim, while the lights on the right stayed brightly lit. Rose decided that was the Tardis's way of saying "this way". So she headed to her right down the twisting corridors. Two lefts, a right, and three doors down was a door that was clearly being lit up by the Tardis. Rose went in and found a very human-like kitchen.

Rose could see all the usual appliances she was used to and knew how to use, as well as a few that looked like they were from the future or something. She stayed clear of the futuristic ones and went to the cupboards to see if she could finds some tea. The Tardis must be reading her mind because sure enough there was her favorite tea sitting on that shelf. Rose set about making herself some tea and also making herself some breakfast.

Not wanting anything fancy or time-consuming, Rose decided on scrambled eggs and toast. Simple, easy to make, and filling enough that she should have plenty of energy for any adventure the Doctor took her on. Ten minutes later, she was sitting at the table with her cup of tea and plate of eggs and toast when the Doctor strolled in.

"I made enough tea for you to have a cup, if you want," Rose said. "I wasn't sure how you take it else I would have brought it to you. Then, again, I would have had to search for ya," Rose laughed at her rambling.

"No worries," the Doctor assured her. He grabbed his favorite mug and poured some tea into it, adding two sugars. He set the cup on the table and went to the cupboards to grab his favorite bread and made a few slices of toast for himself. He grabbed a banana and when the toast popped he covered it with butter and strawberry jam. Taking his breakfast back to the table he joined Rose.

"Morning, Rose," he finally greeted properly, remembering that for her it was "morning". He often forgot about things like that when he was by himself. What was the concept of "morning" or "tomorrow" to a man who travels through time, especially when he's in the Time Vortex?

He had spent most of the night fiddling with the Tardis' wires and controls. He spent time in the space under the grates messing around trying to distract himself from how quiet it had gotten without Rose there. He had missed her bright presence while she had been sleeping. He did not like that. He was getting far too attached. He was a Time Lord and the Doctor to boot; he _didn't _need anyone.

But he knew that was a lie. He had been alone for twenty-three years now. Ever since Gallifrey had been lost at the end of the Time War. The Doctor had wanted to perish with the rest of his people, but he was not given the option. So, too cowardly for suicide he had thrown himself in the most deadly adventures he could find and tried his best not to make it out. But after seven hundred years of traveling and saving planets, galaxies, and the whole bloody universe _**not **_surviving a deadly adventure was no easy task.

"Good morning, Doctor," Rose said. The Doctor shook off the remainder of his nighttime musings.

"Where do you want to go next?"

"I don't know. Somewhere new," said Rose. She really had no idea where to go. Let him pick.

"Well, you've had a look at the future already. Do you want to go look at the past? On Earth? Or do you want to go visit another planet?" He asked her, figuring to give her a good rounded trip to start off with.

"Yeah, lets go see Earth's past,"

"Do you want to go to ancient times, or something a little closer to home?"

"Surprise me," Rose said smiling.

"Let me think about it while I finish breakfast, and I'll come up with something amazing, all right?"

"Sure, I'm just gonna put my dishes in the sink,"

"You can leave them there, too. I'll put them in the wash later," the Doctor told her.

"The wash?" she asked, having seen nothing that looked like a dishwasher.

"Yeah. Better than those antique dishwashers Earth uses in your time. I'll show you how to use it at some point. I've got the domestics set up so I have to do as little as possible on the Tardis," he boasted.

"Really? Well, aren't you clever?" Rose said, sarcastically. '_What some men won't do to get out of cleaning_', she thought.

The two continued to chat while the Doctor ate. Rose asked if he slept at all, and he told her that due to his "superior biology" he didn't need as much sleep as humans. Rose suspected there was more to it- as much from the way the Tardis' lights flickered when he said that as anything else. But she left it alone, letting him think she bought his excuse. She asked him what he did do all night, and he replied that he fixed various things around the Tardis. (The lights flicked again at that, Rose noted.)

* * *

D*W

He finished eating and brought her to the control room. Rose noticed a distinct bounce in his step. As he began running around all the controls again, Rose was suddenly struck with a desire to help. It looked like an awful lot of work for one man to do; if both of them worked at it maybe it wouldn't be so difficult.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

The Doctor froze at her words. "You want to help pilot the Tardis?" he asked her.

"Well, yeah. You look like you could use an extra pair of hands," she stated wondering what was wrong.

No one had ever offered to pilot the Tardis with him before, except the few other Time Lords and Ladies he had traveled with. It took a lot of work to pilot the Tardis by himself, as she was meant to be handled by six pilots. Having another pilot would help matters, greatly, but it wouldtake Rose _**years **_to learn to fly her properly. The Tardis _hummed _encouragingly, and her lights brightened encouragingly.

"Well, it looks like she has no objection. It's gonna take you _years _to learn to fly her. But we might as well start right now!" The Doctor said, positively bouncing.

He then started showing her several of the buttons and switches on the Tardis console, which the Tardis helpfully lit up as he pointed them out. He went through them one-by-one explaining what they were for, rather than what they were called or any complex explanation that went over her head. He'd let her pick her own name for them-that tended to work better for him! Rose had a look of intense concentration on her face as she looked from him to the switches as he pointed them out.

The Doctor was only showing her one _sequence _of switches today. That was the best way to teach her how to fly the Tardis with him. Show her the switches, tell her what they do, then demonstrate and have her practice while stationary and then while in flight. Once she had that sequence down and could hit them while in flight properly, he would teach her another set. When she had thatone down as well he'd teach her another, and so on and so forth.

She'd never be able to pilot _completely _on her own, not without a lot of years of work put into it. She'd need to learn all about spacial and temporal coordinates to be able to fly solo and that was most likely beyond a human form her era. But the Doctor _could _teach her the coordinates for some select systems and/or have them preset in the Tardis so eventually, when she had learned everything else, she could fly somewhere herself in an emergency. He rather liked that idea.

The Tardis was being quite helpful lighting up the buttons she needed to hit, and after Rose hit the button the Tardis lit the next one so Rose would know which to hit next. Then once she stopped that to see if Rose had it down on her own, if Rose hit the wrong one she gave her a small shock, to let her know she'd hit the wrong button, while also ignoring the command. The Doctor was quite pleased with the lesson. He was right; Rose was intelligent and a fast learner. By the time two hours had flown by, the Doctor was certain that Rose had the sequence down and even understood what they did- in the simplest sense, mind.

"Okay, so now we can get going, and when I say "go", you hit those buttons, just like I showed you," He headed off to set them moving, and then an alarm started up. He quickly looked at the monitor and saw that the helmic regulator was out of alignment, must be from all the button-pushing practicing they had been doing. Very easy for things to get out of alignment that way.

He went over to Rose and showed her another button to hold. "Hold this down, Rose. The helmic regulator is out of alignment again. Not hard to fix but very,_very, _bad if we don't. So I need you to hold that down and keep holding till I say otherwise!" he told her, running back to the other side of the console to set the Tardis moving. The best way to fix it was to shake it back into place. It would be an extremely bumpy ride.

"Now hold that one down," he said, pointing to a second switch.

"I'm holding this one down!" Rose said. She was trying to hold on and stay upright during this very bumpy ride, but it was getting hard. Plus the two buttons were so far apart she could barley reach one while still holding the other-and he hadn't told her to let go of the first one yet.

"Well, hold them both down," the Doctor said.

"It's not going to work," Rose complained, as her arm strained to reach both buttons.

"Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting! Now, you've seen the future, so time to have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?" he asked her, setting the coordinates as he asked.

"What happened in 1860?"

"I don't know, let's find out," he said excited to be traveling with someone so fun to be with. Rose made him feel like a young man again. "Hold on, here we go." The Tardis on her journey to 1860 sensed trouble in nearby 1869 and adjusted her course to go help.

The helmic regulator finally popped back into proper alignment as they got closer to their destination, and he told Rose it was okay to let go. The Tardis gave a final heave before they landed. Both the Doctor and Rose were thrown from their places and fell on the grating floor of the Tardis as she landed rather harder than she had in a while. But Rose was laughing and that just made the Doctor's laughter all the more joyous, he loved this ship.

"Blimey!" she cried.

The Doctor stood up to check the Tardis monitor and see where exactly they had landed. "You're telling me. You all right?" he asked, wanting to make sure the rough landing hadn't been too rough for his more fragile companion.

"Yeah, I think so. Nothing broken," Rose said as she climbed to her feet and joined him at the monitor. The writing made no sense to her, but she did note it was similar to the writing on her door, Gallifreyan. She figured there was no reason for the Tardis translation circuits to translate Gallifreyan since it was made to be flown by Gallifreyans who already understood the language.

"Did we make it? Where are we?" she asked him.

"I did it! Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples. December 24, 1860." The Tardis was showing him that he had arrived at his intended destination, but he was in fact at _her _intended destination, as he would soon discover. Blue gave him false readings for two reasons. One, she didn't want him to run off before he took care of the situation outside, and two, she didn't want him to hit her.

"That's so weird," Rose said in a soft voice. "It's Christmas!" Her whole face lit up, and he loved the sight of it.

He gestured towards the Tardis doors behind him, "All yours," he said.

"But, it's, like- think about it though- Christmas, 1860. Happened once. Just once, and it's gone, it's finished. It'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone, a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still."

The Doctor listened to Rose's view of time travel and loved it. The wide-eyed curiosity and wonder, the innocent joy and exhilaration. This was why he _needed _to travel with someone. They let him see the universe with their eyes, even if just for a moment. Left on his own, all he had left was darkness and anger and pain. Rose let him see the good in his life again.

A smile had crept up on his face as she spoke. "Not a bad life," he told her and himself.

"Better with two," Rose said with a wide smile.

The Doctor's hearts jumped at that statement. She had just echoed his own thoughts _exactly_. That had never happened to him before. Not with anyone he had ever known; no one he had ever traveled with or met had done that. Not even his family. The Doctor returned her smile.

"Come on!" she said as she slapped his arm and suddenly headed to the doors.

The Doctor remembering what she was wearing, cried out, "Oi, oi, oi, where do you think you're going?"

"1860," Rose said, as she turned around to face him.

"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. There's a wardrobe through there," he said pointing through the door leading into the Tardis's interior rooms. "First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!"

Rose looked at him like he had lost his mind. He had spoken all that at 99 miles an hour! Luckily she knew the Tardis would lead her to the right door. He smiled as she headed out. He loved that his ship cared so much about her; he could worry less about her while she was inside the Tardis, knowing his ship would take care of his human companion.

He set about making sure the helmic regulator had popped back into place when they landed. Once certain of that he went to grab a different shirt. His current self favored jerseys and jumpers so he just grabbed a red jumper that wouldn't look too out of place in 1860. If was funny that if his female companions were dressed in out-of-style clothes they'd be noticed almost instantly, but no one paid him any attention when he dressed in styles out of fashion, just plain weird, or completely crazy. His current self had the most toned-down sensible style of all his incarnations. Either that or he was just getting old, and no longer wanted to test people's patience with his wardrobe choice.

Rose took the first left and then quietly asked the Tardis to show her the rest of the way. She followed the lights to a room that was at least 4 stories high. There were clothes from every period in there she bet. Overwhelmed, she once again turned to her new best-friend, Tardis. "Um, can you help me find some dresses for this era? Something not to complicated or uncomfortable?" she asked the sentient ship.

Most of the light in the room dimmed slightly but Rose noted that a section on the second floor, one level down from where she stood, was still brightly lit. She made her way down to it and found several dresses that looked appropriate for 1860. She looked at several before choosing a fancy black and pink one that was a bit classier than she was used to. As long as she was going out it 1860, she might as well pretend to be "upper class" as well. She also found some opaque hosiery, since it was December, and a nice pair of heeled-boots. The heel was wide and short enough that if they ran into trouble she needed to run from she wouldn't be tripping over herself.

She went to the mirror and put her hair in a low bun, as she knew women of this era always wore their hair up. Then she noticed the chest of accessories, including jewelry. She switched out her silver hoops for some dangling black beaded earrings that went with the dress. That done, she grabbed a cover up to keep her shoulders warm on the cold day. Happy with her appearance she made her way back to the control room with a _little _guidance from the Tardis. She hoped she would know her way around soon. But she patted the wall in silent thanks.

When she reentered the control room the Doctor was down in the grate messing around with something or another with his blessed sonic screwdriver. He looked up as Rose entered. "Blimey!"

"Don't laugh," she told him while laughing nervously herself. She still felt slightly ridiculous in the old-fashioned dress.

"You look beautiful!" he said, before he realized it. '_Idiot! You're not suppose to fall for companions! That is rule one! And you're not supposed to lead them on either, that's rule two.' _he thought. He quickly covered up his previous remark with a rather lame second remark, "Considering."

Looking slightly bemused Rose asked, "Considering what?"

"That you're human!" he said, as if humans and Time Lords even look all that different-and Rose had so far proven to be an _amazing _human. Not to mention she was beautiful in that dress and in the jeans she'd been wearing before for that matter.

"I think that's a complement," Rose said, still confused at his comment. "Aren't you gonna change?" she asked, noting that he was still in the black jeans and leather jacket he'd been wearing before.

"I've changed my jumper. Come on," he said, standing up and moving to jump onto the exit ramp.

"You stay there. You've done this before; this is mine!" Rose called as she placed a hand on his shoulder to slow him down and made her way to the door.

Rose opened the door and looked around and the snow on the ground. She was still amazed at how they were in the past, a day that had long since come and gone before she had ever been born. She was about to make footsteps on the ground in the past! She placed her foot down gently in the snow, lifted it up to look at the footprint she had just made, in 1860!

The Doctor stepped out of the Tardis behind her, closing the Tardis door behind him. "Ready for this," he asked her. He offered her his left arm, and she linked her arm through his like a proper lady. "Here we go. History!" he said.

As they walked down the street they could hear people singing "God rest ye merry gentlemen". Up ahead the Doctor noticed a man selling newspapers. He went up to him, wanting to see that he had landed where he had intended, and what was going on here if he had. The Tardis sometimes took little side trips and neglected to tell him.

Looking at the paper he clearly read_"Cardiff Evening News" _December 24, 1869. Opps. Well, at least it was still Christmas. "The flight went a bit wrong," he said to Rose.

"I don't care," she said. And she didn't; she was perfectly happy wherever they were.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869,"

"I don't care," She thought to herself '_same difference.'_

"And it's not Naples,"

"I don't care,"

"It's Cardiff," he said with a wince. Nothing ever happens in Cardiff. Not to mention it's still in Great Britain, not much of a distance for her second trip.

"Right," Rose said. Well, it may be easy to get to modern day Cardiff, but not _1869 _Cardiff on her own. She was in the 1860's! Still, she refused to be brought down on her good mood. It was Christmas! But nothing exciting was likely to happen _here_. This was the most boring city in the world.

They had been walking for maybe five minutes when the two of them heard screams, one especially unearthly scream sounded above the rest, coming from a nearby building, and soon thereafter they saw people running out. "That's more like it!" the Doctor proclaimed. He couldn't give Rose a _boring _trip, that just would not do.

The two of them quickly made there way to the theater from which the people were quickly making haste to exit. They managed to push their way through and saw a blue spectral creature of some sort flying around the room.

"Fantastic," the Doctor declared. He pushed way further up front to the stage to ask the performer about it, as he would have had the best view. "Did you see where it came from?" he queried.

The man replied with some sarcastic remark that clearly implied that he thought the Doctor was behind it and that it was a trick of some kind. The Doctor had run into men like that before, and he had no patience for his type.

"Oi! Leave her alone. Doctor, I'll get 'em," Rose shouted at a couple of people who had grabbed a woman and were clearly carting her off somewhere.

Rose heard the Doctor call out after her, "Be careful."

Rose ran out after the couple that had carted off with the older woman. She found the girl outside by a carriage with "Sneed Undertakers" written on the side. The girl was trying to block Rose from seeing the back of the carriage. "What are you doing," Rose yelled at her.

"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss," the girl said, clearly trying to brush her off. "Don't worry yourself-me and the master will deal with it. The fact is this poor woman has been taken with a brain fever. And we have to get her to the infirmary."

At this point Rose had had enough of the young servant girl's excuses and pushed her away to see about the old woman herself. Putting her hands on the old woman to check for her pulse Rose was shocked to discover that she was ice cold. Rose knew that she was much too cold to have been running around fine a few minutes ago-unless there was something otherworldly going on here. Which knowing the Doctor and the Tardis, there most likely was.

"She's cold," Rose said, "She'd dead. Oh, my God. What did you do to her?" she asked the girl. When the girl said nothing Rose turned back to the old lady trying to figure out what she could on her own. Moments later a hand reached around her face and something was pressed against her mouth and nose smothering her. She could smell the distinct smell of ether, which was sure to put her to sleep. She did her best to fight off the stranger, but it was no use. Everything went black as she passed out.

T.B.C...

* * *

AN: My Tardis CAN move rooms around if she needs to, but that's more for emergencies, ie: moving the infirmary closer if someone is gravely injured. However, I'm not even going to try and design a map for the interior of the Tardis, though I'm usually a stickler for details. The Tardis's interior is simply too big and complex to try. I will try and remember where things are or keep them vague.

I _always _wanted to do my own Tardis flying lesson, so I changed that up to how I thought it should go.


	9. 8 Zombies

**Disclaimer: **Continuation of _"The Unquiet Dead"_ by Mark Gatiss. While most is directly from the episode there are many alterations and additions. No offense intended, or money gained.

Many thanks to my lovely hard-working Beta** JKW.**

CHAPTER 8:** ZOMBIES**

* * *

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

_Moments later a hand reached around her face and something was pressed against her mouth and nose- smothering her. She could smell the distinct smell of ether, which was sure to put her to sleep, and she did her best to fight off the stranger, but it was no use. Then everything went black as she passed out..._

_D*W_

The Doctor turned to Rose and noticed her heading out after an old man and a young woman who had hold of an elderly lady. Knowing Rose could look after herself he called out, "Be careful!" and jumped up on the stage to talk to the man who had been performing when the specter had appeared.

"Did it say anything? Could it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way," he said. The Doctor was very curious about this creature; he'd never run into anything like it. And after 900 years, it was getting a bit harder to find things he had not encountered before.

The Doctor watched the creature float around the room and then go into one of the lamps that was along the walls._'That's it!_' he thought. "Gas. It's made of gas," he said aloud.

He jumped off stage and ran outside to tell Rose what he had discovered- and to make sure she hadn't gotten herself into too much trouble. When he made it outside and down the steps he looked around for Rose, only to see the couple that she had chased after loading what was obviously an _unconscious _Rose into their carriage. He was furious, but more than that he was extremely worried.

"ROSE!" he yelled after them.

He had no idea who these people were or what the wanted with his Rose. But they had better not harm her, or they'd face the full fury of the "Oncoming Storm". He noticed the sign on the carriage said "Sneed and Company Undertakers". If he did lose them, he might be able to track them down, not that he planed to let them get away, mind you.

"You're not escaping me, sir. What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?" The man who had been performing prattled on beside him. He was really starting to annoy the Doctor. Rose was in trouble and this man was worried about his interrupted show? And placing blame? The carriage was getting away and the Doctor was looking around for some means of following at speed.

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks," the Doctor finally cut him off. Spotting another carriage the Doctor headed for it. "Oi, you, follow that hearse!" he yelled as he climbed in, not giving one whit about whose carriage it belonged to.

"You can't do that, sir" said the driver.

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you why not-," chimed in the man from the stage, who had apparently followed the Doctor. "I'll give you a very good reason why not-because this is my coach!"

"Well, get in then!" yelled the Doctor, pulling the annoying man in. He was worried about Rose and didn't want to waste any more time arguing with the man. "Move!" he shouted to the driver. Luckily for both the driver and the kidnappers, he obeyed.

As they chased after the hearse, the Doctor fretted about Rose and tried to distract himself from all the things that could happen to her. He loved traveling with people, but it was dangerous and things could happen to those who chose to travel with him. He had lost people before. Over the centuries, people had come and gone for many reasons.

Most often people chose to leave for good reasons, they got out before it was too late. They had realized that if they didn't leave then they wouldn't ever leave. Or they realized that if they stayed much longer, they'd wind up dead. Living through so many dangerous scrapes you start to think you're invincible, and that was dangerous. However, once or twice someone had died for him or the cause of the day. He didn't ever want that to happen to Rose.

In his attempt to distract himself he discovered that one of his favorite human authors was sitting right next to him. How fantastic was that? He loved Charles Dickens! Well, he loved his books, so far the man himself had been annoying, but he was somehow slightly less annoying now that he knew who it was. They talked about it as the drove. It was a small distraction, and that helped- slightly.

Finally they arrived at 'Sneed and Company Undertakers'. Charles Dickens and the Doctor hopped out and proceeded to knock on the door. A young servant girl answered and tried to tell them that they were closed.

"Nonsense," said Mr. Dickens, "Since when did an undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master!"

"He's not in, sir" she tried again, moving to close the door.

"Don't lie to me child!" Mr. Dickens shouted. "Summon him at once!"

"I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Dickens, but the master's indisposed," she said. It was then that the Doctor noticed the gas lamp flickering behind her. The gas creature was here. Perhaps it had even come _from _here, started off here at this house.

"Having trouble with your gas?" he asked.

A faint voice could be heard from within the depths of the house. "What in Shakespeare's going on?" Charles asked.

The Doctor ran inside, without bothering to be polite about it anymore. He knew Rose was here, and so was that creature, and he didn't know if they were friendly or not. He ran to the wall with the gas lamp that he had seen flicker and put his superior-hearing ear to the wall, listening. He could hear whispering of the creatures in the walls.

* * *

**D * W**

When Rose awoke she was quite groggy, and it took a few seconds to clear her head. After a minute her head had finally cleared up a bit, though she still had a bit of a headache. She figured that wasn't going away anytime soon, and she'd just have to suffer until she could get her hands on some good 21st century medicine.

Rose had thought she was alone in the room when she woke, but she suddenly heard a low moaning sound. She turned to her left to see what appeared to be a corpse-or a man playing a corpse, she wasn't quite sure which-sitting up in a coffin. A bluish cloud surrounded his head, similar to the specter they had seen earlier at the theater. She wasn't entirely certain what was going on. Was this something alien, or a joke, or what? But it was creeping her out.

"Are you all right?" she asked the man.

The man made no intelligible reply. All that she could hear where low groans and similar noises. He reached his arms around the coffin clearly making a move to get up. What really freaked her out about him is the fact that he never, not once, took his dead eyes off of her.

"You're kidding me, yeah? You're just kidding me?" More guttural moans and groans.

"You are, you're kidding me, aren't you?" She asked yet again. But by now she had a really bad feeling about him, and he was standing up and moving very stiffly towards her-like he had no joints. "Okay, not kidding," Rose rolled away from the zombie and ran to the door.

Of course it _had _to be locked. Whoever had put her in here was in for a slap to make her mum proud when she got out of here. She kept trying the door and pounding on it, knowing the Doctor would be on his way soon. She had no idea how long she had been out for, as she hadn't worn a watch.

Her jimmying of the door handle proving fruitless, Rose turned to face the room, so as not to be surprised by the zombie. She was startled when a second corpse, that of the old woman she had chased after, also sat up. Now she was staring down two walking corpses.

She grabbed a vase and threw it at the male zombie-thing. It stumbled back several steps. She quickly turned around, while it was catching up, and banged on the door. "Let me out! Open the door!" she screamed, scared. She didn't know exactly what the walking corpses would do to her, but whatever it was, she didn't think it would be very good.

At the front of the house, after having barged in to listen to the walls, the Doctor heard the screams coming from further inside the house. His hearts skipped a beat, and he then sped up in worry. What had they done with his Rose?

"That's her," he said. He quickly sped off in the direction her voice was coming from as she continued to bang on the door of the room she had been locked in and pleaded to be let out. '_I'm coming, Rose. Hold on, I'm coming._' he thought. He ran toward her paying no one any mind, pushing anyone he came across out of his way, in his rush to go to Rose's aid.

Rose continued to bang futilely on the door, praying someone would come before the zombies were upon her. By the looks of things, there wasn't that much time before that happened. "Open the door!" she shouted, yet again. She had lost count of the number of times she had shouted that. She banged on the door twice more.

Then the zombie came from behind her and grabbed her, its hand clamped over her mouth and dragged her away from the door. She was terrified now, what would happen to the Doctor if something happened to her here?

The Doctor heard her scream change to high pitch and then go muffled as if someone put their hand over her mouth. He pushed his legs to go even faster; he had to get to her in time. Finally, he reached the door; he knew this was it despite the lack of banging. He could somehow sense Rose's presence behind that door, in spite of her lack of telepathic talent. He didn't know how that was possible, as he didn't have any telepathic link with her ('_yet' _Six said). But he hushed all those thoughts as unimportant and fairly irrelevant. What was important was that he had gotten to Rose in time.

He kicked the door open. Rose was being held by what appeared to be those Gas creatures possessing corpses. "I think this is my dance," he said. Any other time his voice might be flippant with that line, but with a dear friend in danger, his voice was actually quite deadly. He reached past the animated corpse's arms and grabbed Rose, pulling her safely to his side, where she belonged.

Charles Dickens was nattering on about how this must be a prank, couldn't be real, and dozens of ways this could have been pulled off. "We're under some mesmeric influence," he cried.

"No, we're not. The dead are walking," the Doctor stated plainly, calmer now that Rose was safe, or at least at his side. "Hi," he said to her, looking down at Rose, to reaffirm her presence.

"Hi. Whose you're friend," she questioned him, noting the man behind him.

"Charles Dickens," he said, excitement back in his voice.

"Oh, okay," Rose said. She guessed that she might end up meeting more people like that if she stayed with the Doctor. That's not what she had come for and that is not why she stayed with him. But that wasn't a bad benefit. '_Charles Dickens! I'm in a room with Charles Dickens._' she thought. She turned back to the zombies.

"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" he sounded so commanding right then, Rose noted. And while the zombies had ignored all of Rose's attempts to question them, they answered to the Doctor.

"We're failing-open the rift- we're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us," and then the creatures released the corpses and the bodies fell to the floor.

The entire group made their way to the house greeting room. The servant girl was ordered to fetch some tea, calm everyone's nerves. When Sneed refused to talk, Rose had a go at him. "First of all you drugged me, then you kidnap me-and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man!" she shouted at him.

The Doctor loved to see her standing up for herself like she was. She refused to be cowed in anyway, shape or form. No one took advantage of Rose and got away with it. But hearing that that old man had put his filthy hand on _his _Rose without her permission nearly tested his own restraints. He was lucky that Rose was busy taking the mickey out of him, or he would have probably smacked the man himself.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" Mr. Sneed spoke up from the chair he sat on, while Rose yelled at him.

Rose wasn't having any of it. "Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you just swan off and leave me to die! Some come on, talk!"

"It's not my fault. It's this house!" He shouted at her. Really, who raised this man? Weren't people of this era taught not to raise their voice to ladies and things like that? "It's always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until about three months back, and then the stiffs... the, um, the dear departed, started getting restless."

"Tommyrot," said Dickens.

"You witnessed it!" Sneed cried. "Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps."

The Doctors attention was momentarily drawn away by the girl who gave him a cup of tea, with two sugars, just the way he took his tea. What struck him as odd is he had not told her how he took his tea before she gave it to him. That was most unusual. He pondered on that while sipping his tea and turning back to Mr. Sneed.

"...Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir. Just as she planned." Mr. Sneed finished explaining.

"Morbid fancy," Dickens declared.

At this point the Doctor had enough of his denials of the truth staring him in the face. If idiots did that, it was one thing, but when really intelligent people did that it really drove him mad! "Oh, Charles, you were there!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"I saw nothing but an illusion," Dickens stated firmly.

"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up," the Doctor snapped. He hated when smart people chose to be stupid, stupid and small. It was one of the wonders of the human race. They were forever brilliant they were, but they were also incredibly thick and stupid.

He turned away from those thoughts and back to the situation at hand. "What about the gas?" he asked Sneed.

"That's new, sir, never seen anything like that,"

"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through," the Doctor explained out loud.

"What's the rift?" asked Rose, hearing the term for the second time tonight. Those creatures had mentioned a rift too, but she wasn't up for trying to get them to talk-they hadn't listened to her before. But she was eager to understand the situation and knew the Doctor could explain it her so she could grasp the concept.

"A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories most of the time," he explained turning to Mr. Sneed at the last bit.

"That's how I got the house so cheap," he said. "Stories going back generations. Echoes in the dark, Queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a...shadow passing over your soul." While Sneed talked, Charles had stepped out of the room. Apparently, he had enough of the "ghost" talk.

"Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine," Mr. Sneed confessed. Rose could see that. A haunted undertaker house? Who wouldn't try that?

**D*W**

After Mr. Sneed finished his story, Rose pulled the Doctor aside for a quiet word. She hadn't wanted to call him out in front of the whole room, but she felt he had been far too hard on Mr. Dickens. She knew the man had to be annoying him, but that was no reason to behave so childishly himself. He needed to go apologize to the man and help him expand as an individual.

"Doctor, you should go find Charles and apologize for snapping at him like that. Not everyone is as good at accepting strange happenings as you and me; you can't fault him for that. Now why don't you go find him before he runs into trouble, yeah?" Rose said, giving him a stern look usually reserved for toddlers throwing tantrums.

"Oh, alright. I suppose I was a bit hard on the man. I just don't like it when intelligent people _choose _to be thick. But, I suppose I could try to explain it again, have a bit more patience," he responded, smiling at her, before heading off to find the writer.

He found Charles in the room Rose had been locked in, the viewing room. He was leaning over one of the bodies waving his hand. When that failed to produce any result, he began to check the box, running his hands along the sides.

"Checking for stings?" the Doctor asked from his spot at the doorway.

"Wires, perhaps," Charles replied, with an almost desperate note in his voice, the Doctor now noticed. Rose was right, the man just had all the rules of his world turned upside down, at his age (for a human, anyway) that was no easy thing to accept. He wanted to remain in his comfortable world where he knew the rules, understood the game. But the Doctor was determined that he bring him out into the open see the truth and be that much greater for it.

"There must be some mechanism behind this fraud," Charles continued.

"Oh, come on, Charles," the Doctor said, pushing away from the doorway and approaching Dickens. "All right. I shouldn't have told you to shut up. I'm sorry," he really was, it wasn't just Rose making him apologize. "But you've got one of the best minds in the world. You saw those gas creatures-,"

"I cannot accept that," Dickens attempted to interrupt. But he failed to understand that interrupting the Doctor was a _lot _harder than it looked.

"AND," the Doctor talked louder to be heard over Dickens, "What does the human body do when it decomposes? It breaks down, produces gas. Perfect home for these gas things- they can slip inside use it as a vehicle. Just like your driver and his coach," he explained to the man.

"Stop it. Can it be that I have the world entirely wrong?" Charles asked.

"Not wrong. There's just more to learn," the Doctor told him. Can't fault a 19th century human for not believing in aliens and ghosts. Alien were not often seen on Earth in this century.

"I've always rallied against fantasists. Oh, I loved an illusion as much as the next man, reveled in them, but that's exactly what they were, illusions! The _real _world is something else. I dedicated myself to that-injustices, the great social causes. I hoped that I was a force for good. Now you tell me that the real world is a realm of specters and jack-O'-lanterns. In which case, have I wasted my brief span here, Doctor? Has it all been for nothing?"

"No, Charles. The universe is far more complex than either of these explanations. No one knows how much good they've done. I've spent my life helping humanity out but could they have been better off without me, learning to fight those things without my help? I'll never know. Is all my "interfering" more beneficial or useless in the end? I may never know." With that the Doctor left to find Rose.

* * *

**D*W**

Rose meanwhile had been talking with Gwyneth, the servant girl. She had knowledge of things she shouldn't- _couldn't _know. The fact the Rose's father was dead, for example. She had been thinking about him the last few days, she was thinking about whether to ask to go see him at some point. She also knew about life in 21st century London, the cars and planes and clothes. Even Rose's traveling with the Doctor.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it, Miss. Ever since I was a little girl. My mum said I had the sight, she told me to hide it," Gwyneth said.

From behind them the Doctor's voice came, startling both girls, "But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?"

"All the time, sir," she said. "Every night...voices in my head."

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it; you're the key,"

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts," Gwyneth said.

"Well that should help," he said. "You can show us what to do."

"What to do where, sir?"

"We're going to have a séance," he replied.

After a bit of explanation from Gwyneth, some more arguing from Charles who was still reluctant to go along with what appeared to be fantasy and ghosts to him, and finally some guidance from the Doctor, they called up the gas creatures to figure out what they wanted. Turns out they were yet another victim of the Time War, and they had lost their physical forms. That bloody war, would he ever hear the end of it? He had to help these Gelth if he could.

As soon as the Gelth spoke of a time war Rose had turned to look at the Doctor. He had mentioned a war had killed his planet, and his people were known as the _Time_ Lords, naturally she thought there might be a connection between them and a _Time War_. The Doctor only met her eye for a second, but she knew this Time War had to be the all-painful war that had cost him everything.

Rose objected to giving the Gelth the deceased bodies in 1860. The Doctor objected to her objection. Before they could continue fighting about it the connection closed and Gwyneth collapsed. Rose ran over to tend to her, pretending she wasn't running from the fight with the Doctor.

Rose had the guys bring Gwyneth over to the couch and lay her down while she collected some clean cloths and water to put on her head. Gwyneth woke up and Rose place her hands on her shoulder to keep her from trying to get up. "It's all right. You just sleep," Rose told her.

"But my Angels, Miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?"

"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're their only chance of survival," the Doctor answered for her.

"I told you, leave her alone," Rose snapped. She couldn't say why, besides that whole giving them recycled corpses thing, it felt so wrong, but she had a really bad feeling about it. They only had the Gelth's word about how many of them there were.

"She's exhausted and she's not fightin' your battles!" Rose continued. "Drink this," she turned back to Gwyneth, handing her some tea. Behind her she heard Sneed ask the Doctor to explain the situation to him again, not understanding the problem.

"They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes," she heard him finish explaining.

"Which is why they need the girl," Charles spoke up, throwing in his two cents.

"They're not having her!" Rose snapped.

"But she can help. Living on the rift she's become a part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge, and let them through," the Doctor told her. He didn't understand why Rose was being so difficult on this. It would save lives, war victims at that. Why was she fighting this?

"Incredible-ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world who can only exist in our realm by inhabiting cadavers," Charles said.

"Good system, might work," the Doctor replied.

"You can't let them run around inside of dead people," Rose objected again. This time she got up from tending to Gwyneth to march over to confront the Doctor.

"Why not? It's like recycling," he claimed. Why couldn't she get this? He had to do this; he had to help these people that were paying for his mistakes. The Daleks had run lose because he had been too much of a coward to stop them when he had been ordered to go back to their creation and stop them from ever being created. He had gone, but had not gone through with his mission. If he had, the War would never have had to take place at all.

"Seriously, though, you can't,"

"Seriously, though, I can,"

"It's just... wrong! These bodies were living people, we should respect them, even in death." He tried not to roll his eyes at her. '_Dead bodies over living victims? Really Rose?_' he thought.

"Do you carry a donor card?" he asked her.

"That's different- that's _my _choice, Doctor," Rose said. His argument almost made sense, and if she had a little less backbone she might have been cowered by it. But she had chosen to sign up for organ donation* and was fully informed. The people who were now corpses here had no idea that they may be used to host an alien entity.

"Is it your choice to save the rotting corpse over the living beings?" he asked her, eyes almost accusing. Rose didn't know what to say to that. Surely there must be another way to help the Gelth?

"That's not what I meant," she said, softer now under his accusing eyes.

"You're right, it is different. It's a different morality-get used to it-," he only just stopped the words that tried to topple out of his mouth as if she were any old companion. '_"Get used to it or _go home."_Did I really almost say that? No! Rose can't go home! I can't lose her! Too important! Must make her see. Should talk to her about the war after this..._'

Softening his voice he put his hand on her arm. "You heard what they said- time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying," he explained to Rose, gently this time as he tried to make her understand.

"I don't care. They're not using her," Rose said. She had seen the way it had worn out Gwyneth before, how bad would it be to establish a bridge to let a dozen through? And if they were lying and there were more, would there be any stopping them?

"Don't I get a say, Miss?" came Gwyneth's voice behind her.

"Look, you don't understand what's going on," Rose tried to tell her.

"You would say that, Miss. 'Cause that's very clear inside your head-that you think I'm stupid," Gwyneth said.

"That's not fair," Rose said. She didn't think the girl was stupid. She wasn't, maybe undereducated by Rose's modern standards, but _not _stupid.

"It's true, though. Things might be very different where you're from, but here and now I know my own mind, and the angels need me. Doctor, what do I have to do?"

Rose wanted to scream, '_They are not angels,' _but she kept quiet. Gwyneth was right; she did have the right to make her own choice, whatever Rose thought of it.

"You don't _have _to do anything," Rose was relieved to hear the Doctor tell her. He hadn't been acting like himself this trip. Then again, Rose had just met him; it was hard for her to be sure.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mum on a holy mission. So tell me."

"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr. Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house, the place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" The Doctor asked.

"That would be the morgue," Sneed said.

"No chance you were gonna say 'gazebo', is there?" Rose said. It figured. They had to go to the morgue of all places to enact this creepy plan. This just got worse and worse. But Gwyneth had made up her mind to help them, even if she mistakenly thought of them as angels, Rose had no right to tell her what to do. And Rose was going to stay with her and the Doctor and help any way she could.

T.B.C...

* * *

***Organ Donation**: Speaking as someone who has personally had to take advantage of this LIFE Saving measure at 21, I thank everyone who has taken that step to donate your organs. For those of you who haven't, please sign up! Thousands die every year cause there are more people waiting than there are donating.

For future reference: Rose has 2 common smiles. Her cheeky tongue in teeth smile, and her wide all-teeth showing grin. Cheeky smile/ Wide grin. Got it?

About my capitalization of the TARDIS: I am aware that it is supposed to be all capitalized. However, I decided that it was faster and easier, (and more commonly used in other fics) to only capitalize the **T** in Tardis. I only capitalize all letters in certain circumstances, such as when the Doctor told Rose what the letters stood for.


	10. 9 Gelth Invasion

**Disclaimer: **Conclusion of _"The Unquiet Dead_" by Mark Gatiss. While most is directly from the episode there are many alterations and additions. No offense intended, or money gained.

Many thanks to my hard working Beta **Jordan K West**.

CHAPTER 9**: GELTH INVASION**

* * *

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

"_No chance you were gonna say 'gazebo', is there?" Rose said. It figured. They had to go to the morgue of all places to enact this creepy plan. This just got worse and worse. But Gwyneth had made up her mind to help the Gelth, even if she mistakenly thought of them as angels, Rose had no right to tell her what to do. And Rose was going to stay with her and the Doctor and help any way she could..._

_D*W_

The four of them followed Sneed to the Morgue down in the basement of the house. Rose was right, it was creepy down here and cold. There were several bodies on the tables scattered about the room.

"Talk about a bleak house," the Doctor commented.

"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed. 'Cause I know they don't. I know for a fact that corpses weren't walking around in 1869," Rose said.

'_How little humans understand Time. It's infinite complexity, it's infinite twists and fluctuations. I guess it's time for her to start getting a grasp on the Infinite Temporal Flux,_' thought the Doctor.

"Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cozy little world could be rewritten like that," he said snapping his fingers to emphasize his point. Her entire history as she knew it could easily change in the blink of an eye.

"Nothing is safe, remember that. Nothing." He didn't like scaring her, but better to be scared than have her be unprepared.

Rose was a little startled at his revelation but trying to process it as quickly as possible. She needed to be ready for anything that may go wrong with this plan, she could process this and question him later.

"Doctor," said Dickens, "I think the room is getting colder."

They heard voices whispering. "Here they come," said Rose.

A blue-gas specter appeared below an arch. "You've come to help. Praise the doctor. Praise him."

"Promise you won't hurt her!" demanded Rose, still worried about the situation and Gwyneth in particular.

"Hurry, please. So little time. Pity the Gelth."

The Doctor stepped forward. "I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?" Wanting to make sure they wouldn't start a fight once they got here. He hadn't noticed, but he had placed himself between the aliens and Rose.

"My angels. I can help them live," Gwyneth said.

"Okay, where's the weak point?"

"Here, beneath the arch," the Gelth said.

Gwyneth moved and stood underneath the arch where the Gelth also was, turning so she was facing out into the room. Rose moved to her to try to stop her one more time. "You don't have to do this," she said.

"My angels," Gwyneth said, her hands on Rose's cheeks. Rose felt a sudden shock and quickly moved back into the Doctor's arms.

"Establish the bridge; reach out to the void; let us through."

"Yes. I can see you. I can see you. Come. Come to me."

"Bridgehead established."

"Come to this world poor lost souls."

"It is begun. The bridge is made." Gwyneth's mouth opened and Gelth started entering the room. But it did not look like one or two, it looked liked dozens, with more still coming. "She has given herself to the Gelth."

"Rather a lot of them, eh?" said Sneed. All three of them were looking around at the Gelth floating around the room in concern.

"The bridge is open. We descend," the Gelth behind Gwyneth said. At this point it lost its blue coloring and friendly facade and turned fire-orange so that it looked like it was made of fire. "The Gelth will come through in force," it declared.

"You said you were 'few' in number!" Charles yelled over the howling of the Gelth.

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses."

"Oh, Gwyneth. Stop this!" Sneed cried. "Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone. I beg of you."

Rose turning her head suddenly noticed one of the previously still corpses in the room was now walking-courtesy of a Gelth, no doubt. One was about to attack Sneed. "Mr. Sneed, get back!" she yelled.

The Doctor grabbed Rose and pulled her away from the Gelth-infected corpses. But Sneed hadn't gotten away in time, one of them had him in a tight grip and broke his neck. Quickly thereafter a Gelth infected him, and he was one of them.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong," the Doctor said. Rose decided not to comment. How could he have known the Gelth were that bad? He was trying to help them, and she understood that.

"I have joined the legions of the Gelth," Gelth-Sneed said. "Come. March with us."

"No," Charles said. He was on the opposite side of the room from the Doctor and Rose. If he ran, he could escape, but the Doctor and Rose had too many Gelth between them and the door.

"We need bodies. All of you, dead. The human race, dead," Gelth-Sneed said as he advanced on the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor backed them up as he kept a tight hold of her hand. He wasn't letting her go, he wasn't losing her.

"Gwyneth, stop them. Send them back, now!" he yelled desperately.

The head Gelth spoke again. "Three more bodies, convert them. Make them vessels for the Gelth."

Charles was lucky, all the Gelth were focusing on the Doctor and Rose. He had a chance to escape. He couldn't see how to help them anyway. "Doctor, I-I can't. I-I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me!" he cried.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had noted that at his back was a cage-like door, one that was a metal frame with bars on it-like in jails. He quickly opened it up and pulled Rose inside with him, shutting it behind them. They were trapped but at least the Gelth couldn't reach them, for now. They quickly ended up with their backs pressed against the concrete wall.

"I'm so-" Charles said, but was interrupted by a scream that finally scared him enough that he fled, still feeling guilty for leaving people behind to die.

Gelth-Sneed spoke again, "Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives to the Gelth." by now there were more than a half dozen Gelth-corpses leaning on the bared-door, trying to get and the Doctor and Rose.

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" the Doctor said. He did not like being duped. How had Rose known not to trust them? He wished now that he had listened to her.

"We don't want your pity!" the Gelth cried. "We want this world and all it's flesh."

"Not while I"m alive," he declared.

"Than live no more," the Gelth said. They clearly had no idea who he was.

Rose was scared, truly scared. If she had been alone, she would have long since panicked and probably been turned into a Gelth-corpse by now. Then, again, she probably wouldn't have been here on her own, so it was a moot point anyway.

But the Doctor was here, right beside her, holding her hand tightly in his, offering comfort or taking comfort-she wasn't quite sure which. Maybe it was both.

"But I can't die," Rose said, "Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die!" She was being stubborn, she knew, but she couldn't help it. She was desperate to find a way to make this okay. "Isn't it?" she asked pointedly, noticing he hadn't answered her and his eyes were firmly on the Gelth.

_'Oh, Rose. You young, human, linear girl. No concept of temporal flux, at all yet. I don't want to answer that. But I don't want to lie to her either,_' the Doctor thought. He finally looked down at her.

"I'm sorry."

"But it's 1869. How can I die now?" she asked him.

"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape," he explained to her. "You can be born in the 20th century and die in the 19th, and it's all my fault. I brought you here." He hated that he was gonna get her killed. He always tried to protect those that traveled with him, but it was a dangerous life and not everyone made it home. Still, somehow he thought losing Rose would be worse than all the others he had lost.

Rose turned back to face the Gelth. One thing she was quickly learning about the Doctor is that he blames himself for everything. He has a lot of guilt, and she didn't know if he deserves any of it or not. She hoped someday he'd learn to start forgiving himself. Or tell her what he did so _she _at least can forgive him. But for now, she can absolve him of this.

"It's _not _your fault. I wanted to come," she said firmly.

"What about me," he asked, now trying to lighten the mood a little bit. "I saw the fall of Troy. World War V. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party, now I'm gonna die in dungeon...in Cardiff!" he cried melodramatically.

"It's not just dying," Rose reminded him. "Gonna become one of them," she nodded to the zombies.

The thought of his body being used to house one of those creatures sickened the Doctor. But he wasn't sure if they knew how to properly kill him. It was possible, of course. Even a simple gun could do it, if he was shot while regenerating, he'd die and nothing would save him.

"We'll go down fightin', yeah?" Rose said, her voice pulling him out of his musings.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Together?"

"Yeah," he squeezed her hand, and shifted his hold so their fingers interlocked. "I'm so glad I met you," he told her.

"Me too," she said, and gave him a wide grin, which he returned.

* * *

**D*W**

Charles had disgracefully fled his new friends, for lack of a better term, and was running for his life out of the undertaker's house at speed. He got all the way to the front door, and once on the other side, he finally stopped for breath, believing himself safe enough. Moments later that illusion was shattered when he saw wisps of the Gelth creatures coming through the cracks in on the sides of the door. He pushed himself to run further.

Charles continued to run down the street, but the Gas creature chased after him. After a moment it cried out, "Failing. Atmosphere hostile!" It fell back into a gas lamp.

This gave Charles an idea. Finally something he could do to help his friends, rather than run like a coward. "Gas!" he cried.

Charles rushed back to the undertaker's house and quickly set about his task. He turned off flame on the lamps but turned _up _the gas, thus flooding the rooms, indeed the entire house, with gas. He pulled out a handkerchief and covered his mouth so that he could breathe better. It helped a little to filter out the gas fumes.

He made his way down to the basement. He was relieved to see the Doctor ans Rose had been clever enough to find a way to avoid the Gelth so far; they were currently behind the bars of a door the Gelth were not able or clever enough to get through.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Charles called. "Turn off the flame, turn _up _the gas! Now fill the room, all of it, now," he said.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked. That gas might choke them all, Rose and Charles first, but him soon after.

"Turn it all on," Charles cried, moving to do just that. "Flood the place!"

The Doctor caught on. "Brilliant- gas!"

"What, so we choke to death instead?" Rose asked, not understanding Charles's plan.

"Am I correct, Doctor?" Charles asked, turning to look at him. "These creatures are gaseous."

"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound," the Doctor finished explaining. '_Brilliant, why didn't I think of it?_' he thought.

As the Gelth turned from the bared-door to Charles, the writer began to worry. "I hope," he said. "Oh, Lord. I hope that this theory will be validated soon. If not immediately."

"Plenty more," said the Doctor. He had to let go of Rose's hand to reach over to his left to the gas main and turn the gas up even further, seriously flooding the room with gas. Immediately there was an effect on the Gelth-corpses. The Gelth were thrown out of the bodies into the area with higher gas content, which was now the room, since it had been flooded with gas.

The Gelth screamed, and were yanked from their host bodies. The corpses they were riding fell to the floor. "It's working," Charles said.

The Doctor opened the door and let him and Rose out of the dungeon. "Gwyneth, send them back! They lied, they're not angels."

Rose stepped out of the dungeon, looking around horrified at the bodies around the room. She knew in her mind that most were already dead before they started, but still, it tore at her heartstrings. She knelt at Mr. Sneed's side for a moment while the Doctor first spoke to Gwyneth, before following him to check on her.

"Liars," Gywneth said, her hands finally falling to her side.

"Look at me," he said, making his way over to her. "If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now, send them back!" he cried.

Rose stared coughing. "Can't breathe," she said.

"Charles get her out of here," the Doctor said to Charles, his second concern always his companion's safety. Sometimes it was even his first concern.

Charles moved to escort the choking lady out of the gas flooded building. However, Rose pushed him aside. "I'm not leaving her!" she yelled.

Charles was a gentleman and not accustomed to forcing ladies to do his bidding, even if it was for their own good. So he was at a loss as to how to get her to safety.

Rose, having no cloth with which to help protect her from the fumes, held her hand to her face and tried to limit how much she inhaled the fumes that way.

"They're too strong," Gwyneth said.

"Remember that world you saw, Rose's world? All those people-none of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift," the Doctor implored.

"I _can't _send them back," she said meaningfully. "But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out," she warned them. She reached her hand into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a small thing of matches, and her intentions became clear.

Rose ran toward her, not wanting her new friend to sacrifice her life for this. "You can't!" she cried. The Doctor caught her arms as Rose reached out to stop Gwyneth, stopping her in her tracks.

He had to shake her a bit to get her to face him, but once she was he told her, "Rose, get out, go now. I promise I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now go!" he yelled, gripping her arms firmly and giving her a shove towards the door. Finally she listened and ran, taking Charles with her, trusting the Doctor to save Gwyneth.

Turning back to Gwyneth he held out his hand for the matches. He could regenerate while the human girl could not. He'd scare Rose, but there was no time. "Come on, leave that to me." he said. But as he got closer, he saw her eyes. There was no life in them. He put a hand on her neck checking both her pulse and body temperature.

There was no pulse, confirming that she was dead. Her body temperature, which his superior physiology was able to accurately pinpoint, told him that she had been dead for at least five if not ten minutes.

"I'm sorry," he told her. He never should have let her do this. This was his fault: her death, Sneed's death. He shoved that aside, for the moment; he could wallow later. He kissed her forehead, as an apology, and as a thank you. "Thank you," he said, turning and running out of the basement and house as fast as he could.

Gwyneth, what was left of her, slowly opened her matches and pulled one out. She got ready to light the house up. She hesitated just long enough to be sure the Doctor was safely outside. No one else needed to die tonight. Then she slid the match along the side of the box. It sparked and lit on fire, and the house-filled with gas-exploded, taking the Gelth with it.

The Doctor had only just made it outside before the house had blown up. The force of the blast had knocked him off his feet. He was just picking himself up again and brushing himself off when Rose came over.

Rose, seeing the Doctor had run over to him, concerned for both him and Gwyneth. She shot him a questioning look, wanting to know where Gwyneth was. He looked a bit guilty and a bit sad. He couldn't quite meet her eyes. And then Rose knew. "She didn't make it," Rose said.

The Doctor hated disappointing her. What was worse was that he was beginning to think that was the part he felt most guilty about, disappointing Rose, rather than the fact that Gwyneth was dead. "I'm sorry. She closed the rift."

"At such a cost. The poor child," Charles said.

The Doctor finally met Rose's accusing eyes, that hadn't left his face the entire time. "I did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes," he explained.

Rose was confused. How could she have been dead already? "What do you mean?"

"I think she was dead from the moment she stood in that arch," he said.

"But she can't have, she spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us. How could she have done that?" Rose asked.

It was Charles who answered. "'There are more things in Heaven and Earth...than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Even for you, Doctor." He quoted Shakespeare. No matter all that the Doctor had seen, there was still more out there, forces greater than even he could imagine.

"She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know," Rose said, mourning the girl who will never be honored as she should be, just once. The three of them continued to watch the house burn, for a while longer, just reflecting on the events of the past evening.

* * *

D*W

Sometime later the Doctor turned to Rose. "Time to head in?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she agreed.

She took his arm again and leaned on his shoulder, weary both physically and mentally. It wasn't long before they reached that wonderful blue box. Rose smiled, happy to be back.

The Doctor pulled out his key and led them inside, after saying a mysterious goodbye to Charles and promising that his books will last forever. Charles was given new inspirations for writing, but the Doctor informed Rose that he dies next year and would never get the chance to tell his story. But at least he had new vigor for life. They gave Charles one last surprise as they departed, dematerializing right in front of his eyes.

The Doctor turned to Rose. "First, I want to head down to the medbay, make sure all that gas didn't do too much harm."

"I'm fine," Rose claimed, but coughed again. The Tardis' lights flickered as well.

"Right, you're fine. But just so that you stay fine with all that gas in your system, how about you humor your Doctor, hmm?" he said.

"Okay, fine, but can I at least change into something more comfortable, first?" she asked.

"Will it take long?"

"Five minutes, maybe," she guessed.

"Hurry up," he agreed. But followed her to the wardrobe so he could escort her to the medbay afterwards. That way she couldn't get lost or get out of the exam. He should probably check himself over too. Gas wasn't exactly good for his system either, and though his respiratory bypass kept him from choking, the gas could possibly cause trouble for his system.

Six minutes and twenty-four seconds later, Rose came out dressed as she had been earlier that day. He took her hand and led her to the medbay. She pulled him to a stop, and told him her second stop was gonna be her bathroom. Blushing, he nodded and led her to one of the common baths along the way. He pointed to door.

Finally they made it to the medbay, and Rose noted a green moon on the door, as well as Gallifreyan writing, and below that written in apparent English was "Med-Bay" with a big red cross in the middle. Clearly it had been made to be understood as the health help center by many cultures.

The Doctor led her in to the most homey and organic-looking sickbay she had ever seen. The walls were the same shade of coral as her walls in the Console room. The counters and floors were ivory, rather than white. And the beds were the same of green as the Time Rotor in the console room, the main column leading from the central console to the ceiling. It was all soothing without offending or being irritating patients, like hospital colors often did.

The machinery, however, was nothing like anything Rose had ever seen in any hospital before. But as this was an alien ship that could move through Time as well she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. The Doctor had her sit on one of the beds while he went to grab some sort of scanner. He ran it up and down her chest and back. Then he apparently waited for the results.

"Well, the gas did not do any tissue damage. But let me check you for a couple more things first, before we call you good to go, okay?" he asked.

"You're to Doctor," Rose quipped.

He smiled at her, grabbing another small device with a tube sticking out one end. "I just need you to breathe into this, real hard," he told her.

Rose did as her Doctor ordered. The device light up and beeped after a moment, and he told her to stop. He took the device and looked at the readings. It said that her oxygen was slightly low. He had her put her finger on another scanner to check her blood oxygen levels, and those too, were low.

He pulled out an oxygen pod, a small mask that would fit over a person's nose and supply a good amount of oxygen for about half an hour. He explained to her that her oxygen levels were low and that she needed oxygen and that the pod would supply it. He explained how to use it and helped her put it on, told her it was from the planet Aldoon and that he would take her there someday if she wanted. His supply of alien information seemed to distract her for a while.

After Rose's treatment was complete he checked her again and her levels were closer to normal, close enough to call her 'fine'. "Rose, I need to check myself out as well, but I'll need your help. My physiology is a bit more resistant that humans' but it is still possible the gas damaged my respiratory bypass."

"What's a respiratory bypass?" Rose asked.

"It's like a third lung, it kicks in when I have to go extended periods of time without breathing, for whatever reason. Okay. Take that respiratory scanner over there, on the left counter. That's it. Now hold it like this, and slowly, slowly, run it from the top of my head to almost my waist, both front and back. It should make a small whistle when it's done."

Rose did as instructed. This was the same scan he had done on her, as well. When she finished, she gave the scanner back to him, carefully, so as not to drop it, though she had been surprised how light it really was.

The Doctor looked at the screen, and so did she, trying to make sense of the readings she couldn't possibly understand. When he noticed her looking, he smiled and began pointing out a few things on the screen, so that she could figure out what it was telling him. So Rose slowly began to make sense of the scanner results as well, it indicated no tissue damage to his lungs, hearts, or respiratory bypass system. Wait a minute, _heart__**s**__? _Plural?

"Heart_s?" _She asked him. "You have two hearts? Or is this malfunctioning?"

"No, it's working right. Time Lords are one of the very rare species that has two hearts," he told her.

Rose thought about that for a minute, before deciding she could think more about it later. "Okay, what next," she asked.

"Hand me the oxygen scanner," he asked. She handed him the small hand-held computerized scanner. He put his thumb on the screen for 5 seconds. It beeped and displayed a result. He showed Rose how to read it, again. His oxygen was too low. But unlike, Rose, he did not need medical help to fix that.

He explained that to Rose and then he proceeded to fix his oxygen levels. He took several deep breaths and stimulated his body to accept more oxygen for a few minutes. In five minutes, he had his levels back to normal. The Tardis, still concerned about her passengers upped the oxygen levels slightly in the rooms they were in for the rest of the night, to make sure they stayed fine and there was no lasting effect.

The Doctor turned to Rose and said, "There, that's better."

"How about some lunch or dinner or whatever, Doctor?" Rose asked.

"Whose buying?" he asked.

"I could always make us something in the kitchen, if you want. That way we don't even have to go out, we could just sit at home for a minute. Put our feet up," Rose said.

The Doctor looked at her. He wondered if she was getting tired. He sometimes forgot that humans ate three times a day, slept every 20 hours-maximum-for at least 6 hours, and needed to rest between sleeping too. He nodded.

They could stay in the Tardis a while, maybe he could start on her lessons. With that decided, they made their way to the kitchen to figure out what was for dinner.

TBC...

* * *

I am a pretty knowledgeable _patient_. (Frequent patient) So I can piece together some pretty convincing medical jargon, but it may not hold any water from the doctor side of things.

I actually meant to lessen that small fight between Rose and the Doctor, but when writing it Rose went and made it worse on me. Then I had to compensate for it.

Mo

I apologize, but I still plan to switch to update every other week starting with the next chapter. You must remember that prior to this I had time to write all day everyday if I felt so inclined. That's How I pumped out So many chapters so fast. Now I'm back in class, and I'm injured to boot. I'll write as much as possible, as I'm having fun, but I'm also planning to stock up chapters, as I head back to University in May.


	11. 10 A Lesson to Distract

**Author's Note: I can see all of you now, scratching your heads as you look at this chapter. "Wait a minute! This is the _same chapter_ as last time!" You are correct. I am _re_posting it; you'll notice the chapter is only posted once, there simply is not a NEW chapter.**

**Chapter 11 is nearly done. It will be complete in a few days.**

**OH yeah: there is a new poll I'd like you to look at.  
**

**While you wait for chapter 11, I recommend you read: The Long and Winding Road. **

* * *

DISCLAIMER: This sandcastle was built in BBC's sand box. The sand belongs to BBC and some other people who have more genius than me. The castle is mine.

**Thanks to JKW for her Beta work.  
**

**And introducing Hope'sFace as my Historical adviser.  
**

**This chapter has now been properly Edited. It has also has slight additions made, for clarity, but no major changes. **

* * *

CHAPTER 10: **A LESSON TO DISTRACT**

_Previously on Doctor who..._

_They could stay in the Tardis a while, maybe he could start on her lessons. With that decided, they made their way to the kitchen to figure out what was for dinner._

_D*W_

Rose cooked them something simple and hearty with the food she managed to find in the cupboards. Beef stew may not seem like much, but it was easy to fix, and she could make a lot of it leaving leftovers to warm for lunch in the next few days. They ate in comfortable silence, both preoccupied with their own thoughts.

The Doctor knew he needed to talk to Rose about the War, to really bring it up and open up a bit. He had almost gotten them killed because of his guilt and someone playing on that, so she had a right to know about it. But he just didn't want to deal with any of that now. He's been running since the age of 8, why stop now? He'd tell her, but he could wait till tomorrow. So he was frantically searching for a _good _reason not to bring it up.

Rose, meanwhile, was trying to figure the Doctor out. Was he always like this, or had this unknown war been the cause of his seemingly unusual behavior? She needed to ask him about it but was wary of causing him more emotional upheaval today. They had both been through quite enough already.

Finally, the Doctor came up with a very good reason to put off the emotional talk till later. He had promised Rose that he would tutor her in whichever subjects she desired, might as well start tonight. "So, Rose, I promised you I would teach you enough to pass A-levels in any subjects you wished, whether they can be found on Earth or not. Do you want to get started tonight?" he asked her.

Rose was pulled out of her internal musings by the Doctor's voice, and it took another second to figure out what he had asked her. When she had processed the question she wondered if he was trying to distract her but dismissed it, figuring that even if he was she could bring it up again later. "Oh, yeah, I guess," she said, still uncertain if this was a good idea.

"Well, at the very least, we can decide which subjects you want to cover. Have you given any thought at all to which areas you want to study?"

"Not really. I always liked to read and was always good in English and literature classes. And until that one teacher got in the way, I was pretty good at science too, especially biology. Couldn't stand social studies, though. History used to bore me too. Used to, mind, I think it might suddenly be a lot more interesting," Rose said.

"Okay, lets head into the library, and I'll help you narrow that list down a bit," he said with a fond smile.

"You have a library?" she asked.

"Yeah, didn't I tell you that last night?"

"If you did, I was too sleepy to remember,"

"That's the reason I didn't give you a tour, sleepyhead! Want one now, before we get started? It might wake you up a bit,"

"Sure, a short to the point one. I get the feeling Blue here's got a lot of unused rooms," Rose said.

"Blue?" the Doctor asked, shocked that Rose had used the Tardis's preferred name for herself.

"Well, I need something to call her don't I? I assume she wasn't the only Tardis, even if she is the last one left. And she is a Blue Box and has been for a long time, judging by the faded paint job, so 'Blue' just fits," Rose defended.

"You're right it does. It's just funny, that _is _her name, Blue."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she adopted it a few decades after we started traveling together, one of my more cheeky friends called her 'Box', and she protested that her name was 'Blue',"

The Doctor took Rose all around the interior of the Tardis. He showed her the media room, which was decked out with the latest entertainment systems for television complete with the biggest TV screen she'd ever seen outside a theater, movies, and games from early 21st century Earth. He explained that the Tardis kept it dated to whoever was traveling with him.

He took her over to a door to show her the E-Park, or Earth-park. It was designed to let his Earth companions have an area where they could feel like they were outdoors on their own planet and feel at home. It had grass, tall thick trees of several types; oak, elm, willow, and maple she knew, others she couldn't name but had seen before. Several flowerbeds lined the park as well as some park benches. If she didn't know better she would think she was on Earth. There was even a simulated sun in the sky/ceiling!

He pointed out a door to her that he refused to enter. "That door leads to a similar park room. But the landscape is of a different planet," he told her.

Rose nodded, understanding what he was not saying. On the other side of that door lay red grass and a burnt-orange sky. Beyond that door lay trees with leaves of silver and water of lavender. That door hid a reminder of all that the Doctor had lost. Curious though she was, she allowed him to lead her past it, pleased that he had at least pointed it out to her.

The Doctor did not know why he had pointed out that painful door to Rose. It had brought back all his memories, happy and depressing alike that he tried to forget, and he had suddenly found himself talking, telling her what was behind it. He suddenly realized he was talking about what was behind some of these doors more and more as his "short, pointed" tour continued.

As they passed the door to the corridor where the Tardis stored his past companions' rooms he pointed it out. It was almost as magnificent a door as the one that led to Rose's room. Made of a wood found only only Gallifrey, and written in Gallifreyan "The Lost Ones" or something to that affect. It was hard to translate Gallifreyan to English. He couldn't _believe _he did had pointed that door out to her, he usually tried to ignore that door, and asked the Tardis to hide it from him. He normally avoided letting current companions know he'd ever had others. It tended to spark jealousy, which he found irrational.

"That door leads to a corridor where the Tardis stores the rooms of all my past companions that might someday come back, or that just mean too much. Actually, I never go all the way down, so they might all be down there. But the rooms at the front are the rooms of those who I miss the most. I miss everyone, mind you, but some far more than others." The two closest to the door were Susan and Romana. Susan, his precious granddaughter. And Romana, his good friend who had taken his lessons to heart.

Rose put her hand in the Doctor's and squeezed it. He looked at her and gave her a small sad smile. It was clear that he was thinking about someone he was missing terribly, perhaps they were gone home, perhaps they were dead, perhaps he did not even know. Whatever the case was, she would do her best to cheer him up, or at least distract him.

"So what's next?" Rose asked

The Doctor brightened slightly at that and led her to the pool room. It was Olympic size with a great diving board. It would be great to swim and relax in sometimes. He showed her the game room: containing board and card games from every era on Earth. He showed her 3 other kitchens, 4 sitting rooms, and finally the library. There were lots of other rooms, but he did not show them to her at this time.

Luckily for her the main kitchen, sitting room, and library were all in the same hall, and it was relatively easy to get from there to her own room. She knew she could always have the Tardis direct her to where she needed or wanted to be, but Rose wanted to be able to know her way around without always relying on the Tardis to give her directions.

The library was the most massive library Rose had ever laid her eyes on. The were shelves upon shelves of books, and more rows than Rose could count. Off to the left, Rose noted a staircase, that led up into more floors, and just like in the wardrobe room there was a an open area she could look up and see the higher floors through. She counted at least five more floors of books. She would swear that the library itself seemed to be bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.

The Doctor explained that this was the main library, where all the books he and the Tardis had access to were contained, that was why it was so big. There was a smaller private library off his bedroom and another study library that contained only Earth-books somewhere in the Tardis. He led the way to the back of the first floor of the main library where it was a bit more cozy. There were a few couches and chairs for comfy reading and some desks and tables for working at; it was to these tables that he led her to.

D*W

* * *

The Doctor sat her down at a table similar to the ones found in any library on Earth, except that the chairs were far more comfortable, and the wood was of a much too fine quality for a public library. Then he ran off to find something and came back a few moments later carrying a folder in his hands.

"Now, what subjects do you think you may want to get an A-level in? Or would you rather forget A-levels and just study for the sake of studying? Anything at all peak your interest?" He asked her as he took a seat next to her.

Rose had given it some thought. What she wanted to study most of all was first aid. Not human-first aid, like she could study and use on Earth, but Time Lord-first aid, like she might need while traveling with him. But she was a little hesitant to ask him outright. So she tried to think of what _else _she might like to study. What else might prove useful out here amongst the stars?

She considered history. True with the Doctor she would be getting a real live history lesson and would retain the information much better than if she were trying to learn it through dry books and boring lectures. However, the Doctor's educational trips would take longer and be fairly sporadic in what she would actually learn. As a bonus, if she knew more about her own planet's history, she might know of more interesting places and times she might want to visit.

Rose also considered Physics. But, then, math wasn't her strong suit and knew that physics used a lot of higher level math. She also knew that what other sentient life knew about physics, especially what the Doctor knew about physics, would probably blow what humanity had thus far discovered out of the water. She doubted she could keep up.

She immediately tossed out chemistry as an area of interest. Although an interesting subject on the surface, she had never had gotten a decent grasp for it, even before her educational troubles. Also, Rose did not think it would be a commonly useful subject out here. It might come in handy once or twice, but not more frequently.

Biology was another matter, however. Rose had always liked biology. The trouble was she wasn't certain how useful it would prove to be out here, unless he covered basic biology of other species, which Rose saw no reason why he shouldn't. That would be very cool!

Astronomy was always a favorite of hers. And to study it up close was more than she had ever dreamed of. The things the Doctor could teach her about the subject were likely to go over her head more often than not, but Rose was willing to try!

Literature would also be a good one. Growing up in the poor council estates, Rose didn't have a ton of toys given to her. So she had entertained herself in a couple of ways. One was her imagination, the other was reading books from the library, neither of which required any money. She may not have liked the classics all the time, but she did like to read.

"Well," Rose spoke after a long pause, "I was thinking of studying biology, I was pretty good at that. And I need to do Ancient Earth history, but perhaps live might be better for that one," she gave the Doctor her cheeky smile. He smiled back, nodding in agreement, though he thought he might give her an overview before the field trips began.

"I want to cover literature, too. I love to read, though I never had much passion for the traditional classics. I want to do Astronomy. You'd be much better than my last teacher, she had no experience at all!" Rose said.

"Okay, so that's Biology, Astronomy, Literature, and Ancient human history, that's four subjects. Anything else you want to study?"

"Well, yes, there is one other I think might be good to cover," Rose said softly, looking down at the table, instead of at him, as she twirled a strand of her hair nervously.

"Rose, what is it?" The Doctor asked her, his own anxiety shooting up in reaction to her increasing anxiety. What was worse was that he had no idea what could be making her so very nervous when discussing classes.

"Well, I was kinda thinking before, back on Platform One, that I'd just kinda jumped on board without know much of anything about you; and what if something happened to you. I'd have no idea what to do, how to help you, or how to get home. So I was thinking a crash course in Time Lord first aid might be a wise idea, so that I know what to do, or even what _not _to do if you ever get sick or injured," Rose said all this very fast.

The Doctor just stared at her blankly for a minute, completely dumbfounded. He was completely at a loss. For over nine hundred years he had been traveling with humans and once or twice another Gallifreyan, and _never _had any of them offered to learn the medical knowledge needed to treat him if he were injured. True, the Gallifreyans hardly needed to, they already knew what to do. But his human friends had never thought of it before, or at least not been brave enough to actually ask him. In fact, their ignorance had once been partially responsible for killing him into a regeneration.

Before Rose could start back pedaling and apologizing for even thinking about it, he finally blinked and smiled. "That is actually a very good a idea. It's a rare occasion when I need any medical intervention, but if we add Time Lord biology or anatomy to your biology lessons, that would greatly cover it. I can teach you how to run some of the equipment in the Med Bay in case I ever do need it," he said trailing off.

"I was already thinking that sticking to Earth biology was a bit pointless. It would probably be more helpful to learn a broader biology background in case it'll ever come in useful somewhere we land. But, how come you don't need medical help much?" Rose asked, courage returning at the Doctor's interest of her idea.

"Time Lords have a lot of self-healing, certainly more than you poor apes," he joked.

"OI! Watch who you call an ape, Big ears!" Rose shot back.

"I'm not the one who is descended from the monkeys!"

"Really?" Rose asked, suddenly intrigued and argument forgotten.

"Honest, not one monkey in my ancestry. We may look alike on the outside Rose, but that doesn't mean our family lines are remotely alike," he explained.

"Would I recognize the creature you are descended from?"

"Probably not," he said, in a voice she swore was a bit smug, "They were unique to Gallifrey's ancient days when the universe was new and just beginning. They only existed on Gallifrey for a short time before they evolved into something closer to humans, like Time Lords without half our senses, and then they evolved into something that was as close as you can get to a Gallifreyan and then as we evolved and grew in intelligence and our understanding of space and time, we eventually became what I am today."

"Wow," said Rose.

"You stay here, I'm gonna go find an anatomy book," he told her, getting up from the table and going to the fourth floor in the back where all the Gallifreyan books were kept. He quickly located one on his own anatomy to begin teaching Rose. On the way back, he stopped off at the human section and grabbed a human anatomy book for comparison. This way she could see their differences side-by-side.

He took the book back to where she sat waiting for him. He retook his seat. "We are going to have to ask the Tardis to translate for you, as she normally wouldn't need or want to translate Gallifreyan, especially as doing so is usually a bad idea, but she might be willing for this," he told Rose.

The Tardis was designed to be run be Time Lords who already understood Gallifreyan, and thus did not need the sentient ship to translate the language for them. Having her translate it for less intelligent beings was very risky, they might then be able to run the ship or do something else of more drastic nature. In the early days of Time Lords having Tardises they did translate Gallifreyan and the result had been catastrophic.

Rose got up from her chair and patted the floor, as she felt more of a connection to the ship with the floor than with the furniture and the walls were too far away. "Hey, Blue? Could you please do me a big favor and translate some of this Gallifreyan to English so I can read it, please? At least this book the Doctor has got with him. I assume it's on his biology or anatomy or something like that, so I can help him if he's ever injured while I'm with you two," Rose explained to the Tardis whole stroking the floor, hoping to encourage the Tardis to do as she requested, as is was for the Doctor's benefit as much as it was for her's.

Rose held her hand out to the Doctor, motioning for him to hand her the book, so she would know if it was working or not. She looked closely at the cover. At first she only saw the elegant circular writing of the Gallifreyan written language, but as she concentrated and continued to study the cover, the words very slowly began to make sense. Rose still saw the circular writing, but somehow she knew what it said. She didn't know why it didn't look like English, but she decided to let it go, perhaps that is just the way the translation circuit worked on written languages.

They decided to go ahead and start on he lesson right away. Beginning with the basics, the Doctor ran through how much she knew of her own anatomy and then expanded on that, before going into what the differences were in Time Lord and Human anatomy. Rose was far more relaxed here than she had been at school and far more interested than she had ever been before, which kept her focused. They could go as fast or as slow as she required, and right now, they were breezing through the material.

After 2 hours, the Doctor finally switched subjects, saying that he knew from past experience how bored and clogged human brains became if they stayed on one topic too long. So she had suggested they begin covering some history, and he was off, telling stories of things he had seen on Earth in ancient times. Rose decided this was much better than reading it out of a book herself.

Of course, the historians on Earth didn't know that the Doctor had pushed certain key authors into writing the "Declaration of Independence" and helped to kick start the American Revolution. Nor did they know that the only thing that started the so called "Cuban missile crisis" was an alien trouble maker that the Doctor had stopped, before trying to calm down the Presidents involved. Nor was Rose aware that aliens had helped to build the Egyptian pyramids, and were attempting to build an energy converter, before the Doctor stumbled in and put a stop to it. Aliens had been playing a bigger part in human history than they were ever aware of.

The Doctor also told Rose of the time he met William Wilberforce and accidentally helped him decide to advocate for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. "It was early 1790," he began, "when I landed the TARDIS in a garden on his estate. That is one of my favorite meetings, no aliens involved, just one brilliant young man trying to decide what to do with his life. He truly wanted to make the world a better place and he did."

The Doctor and Rose had migrated to the comfortable couches in front of the fireplace in the library. The Tardis then shifted them around so that they were now in their den, which did contain their own private library, into which the Tardis had moved all the books the Doctor would need for Rose's lessons. It was a comfy, homey atmosphere with the fireplace, comfy furniture, several bookshelves with light reading or studious reading depending on their needs, and a few tables to study at. The Doctor had not noticed at first when the Tardis had shifted them to this room, his attention on the story of how he had met General Washington in a time of crisis, and how he had saved the Earth, again, with George's help.

He was resting comfortably against the back of the couch, eyes just above the fireplace as he told his story. Rose had shifted several times since they had moved to the couch and was now seated next to him, leaning against him slightly, her head resting on his shoulder. As the Doctor wrapped up his latest tale, he turned to Rose, only to find her dozing against him. When he checked his Time senses he realized he had been telling history stories for 113 minutes and 21 seconds. Well, next time he should cut it down some, or make a plan so he didn't keep Rose up so late.

He shook her slightly, to see if she was sleeping deeply enough to move. But she startled awake. He smiled softly at her. "I think we'll call it a night for you, Miss Rose," he said. "You've been up for over 18 hours, and probably want to get some real sleep."

"Ye-e-e-ah," Rose said around a yawn. She barely noticed the change in the room as he helped her up a guided her out and to her room. Rose was barely awake at this point, having fallen asleep to the Doctor's comforting voice telling her interesting stories. Maybe next time she should take notes, might keep her awake. But she barely had the energy to change clothes and crawl into bed.

The Doctor left Rose to her human required sleep, while he went back to the library to plan out a few of her lessons, for the night. He still did not need sleep, and Rose would be out for seven to eight hours, and the Tardis did not require any real repairs that he knew of, so this was as good a thing as any to do with his spare time. Next time they sat down to Rose's lesson, he'd be a bit more prepared.

D*W

* * *

Rose walked into the kitchen the following morning wearing black jeans, a pink shirt, and a pair of comfortable black and pink sneakers. Her hair was brushed, her make-up on, and she was wearing her favorite silver hoop earrings.

However, when Rose walked into the kitchen, she was shocked at the sheer mess she saw. It looked a little like someone had exploded something in here- and the Tardis did not seem to pleased about it judging from all the rumbling Rose heard.

"Oh, my... Doctor, what happened?" she asked taking a hesitant step further into the kitchen. Honestly, she didn't know what to think. Pots and pans littered the counter tops, covered in some sort of baked on batter. The stove and counters, and even the ceiling were also covering in this substance that he had apparently tried to cook, but had ended up all over everywhere.

It appeared that she had finally found something that the Doctor could not do. He could not cook. Nice to know he wasn't as perfect as he liked to make out he was.

"Well, apparently the cooking times and ingredients didn't mix right with my superior Time Lord-brain and all the super-important information I have stuffed in there, because it appears that I seem to have lost my cooking skills," he said, attempting to make it sound like it wasn't his fault.

Rose did not buy his excuse for a minute. "In other words, you attempted to make breakfast, and ended up making a mess of the kitchen?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he responded, unrepentant. But he got a mental rumble in his head at that. The Tardis hated when he made an unnecessary mess of her interior. Honestly, he hadn't realized yet he had lost his previously obtained culinary skills. He had not yet had any desire to try cooking since his last regeneration, and thus had not discovered that he was now a disaster of epic proportions in the kitchen.

"Remind me to keep you far away from the cooking utensils," Rose commented.

"Oi! I'll have you know I used to be a fantastic chef. I just lost that skill set. Maybe I'll pick it up next time, who knows," he trailed off at the end. Rose was a bit confused as to what he meant by that, but decided to let it drop for now.

Rose decided to take charge before a fight broke out between the Tardis and the Doctor that couldn't be solved quickly. "Right, then, Doctor, whether you knew or not that you were an utter disaster in the kitchen, you are. You are now forbidden to cook, for at least a month, and will be supervised before attempting to try again. And, since you made such a mess of the Tardis' kitchen, you owe her an apology," said Rose with the air of a commander with a platoon of troops.

"What?" he said.

"You practically blew up the main kitchen, you owe Blue an apology," Rose repeated, her tone just getting more commanding.

The Doctor didn't know why he did it, if anyone ever brought it up again he denied it or changed the subject. But he decided the quickest way out of here was just to appease Rose and apologize to the Tardis. "Sorry, Blue," he said. The lights blinked and the hum sounded slightly less disgruntled.

"Now, Blue," said Rose, "Would you prefer the Doctor and I try and clean this mess, or would you rather kick us out of here and fix it yourself?" The door behind her opened, making it clear the Tardis would rather clean up after them, than take the risk of the Doctor making matters even worse. Rose grabbed his arm and pulled him outta the kitchen. It shut and locked itself before the door disappeared.

"Tell, you what," The Doctor said, "Since I made such a mess, how about we go out for breakfast? I know this great place that makes an amazing omelet. What do you say?"

"Oh, sure. Is what I have on, appropriate?" she asked, already leading the way from the kitchen to the control room.

"Sure, should be just fine. You're first alien planet! Called Corax, very friendly little place. We can wander around after we eat, if you want," he told her.

"OH! An alien planet, really?" yelled Rose, practically jumping up in excitement. "Is it in the future at all? Or the past?"

"Well, that's all relative, isn't it?" he asked, pleased at her question, it proved she was thinking. "Relative to your time, it's slightly in the future but not by much. And their society is more advanced than Earth is in your time, so they are familiar with space travel and all that,"

"Oh I can't wait!" She practically skipped to the control console. The Doctor started it up, and like last time, he had her help with the same sequence of switches he had taught her before. She still remembered and needed no guidance; it almost seemed she was a natural. But that was absurd, only Time Lords or Ladies could be natural pilots of TARDISes.

They landed with their usual _thunk,_and the Doctor fell hard to the floor. Rose, however, fell more gently to the captain's chair. Rose had the feeling it was the Tardis's way of taking revenge on the Doctor for messing up her kitchen. The Doctor just ignored it and jumped back up, cheerful as ever, and grabbed Rose's hand as he headed for the door.

"Your first alien planet, Rose, come on!" he called over his shoulder as he positively dragged her toward the door.

**T.B.C..**

* * *

A/N: I know some author's put the pool in the Library, but that is just silly. As if 10 could stand books being near water! No no no no no! See, the TARDIS crashed, and the pool (room and all) fell into the library. I know he was eccentric but come on!

What reading I did of the A-levels suggested they were like SAT-subject tests, required to attend a university. School is only mandatory till 16 there. **I had a reviewer correct me here. While _similar_, I think it would be clearer to describe A-levels as NEWTS where they take 3 or 4 classes and GCSE as OWLs as the lesser qualification. It gets the point across for us Yanks. ;)  
**

I have come to the conclusion the Doctor is vain and has been lying about his age for some time. Either that or he himself has lost count. Or he has changed his unit of measurement (Earth ys v. Gallifreyan ys. Or Jupiter ys.). B/c apparently he was over 950 in the movie (Doctor 8).

* * *

**AN: for those paying attention: Chapter 11 is now well written. It should be done in a few days.  
**

**In the meantime I recommend you read: The Long and Winding Road. **

**If you read it already, check out my favorites list. There are over 200 other Doctor Who stories to chose from!**

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story. I read every one, and if I have specific comments, or you have specific questions or concerns, I DO reply. But of course, I am behind enough, I can't reply to everyone. Don't let that stop you from commenting anyway. You're best bet if you do want a reply, is to ask a question. ;)**

**And I did have someone respond to my plea for a new Beta. Hope'sFace will be adding to my history knowledge so the story doesn't seem to American. **

**Now, Is there a Classic Who fan out there who I can go to for help with future chapters? I will need someone to consult with someone in a few. CALLING FOR A CLASSIC WHO FAN!**

**All previous chapters have undergone a AN cleaning. This chapter will do as well w/in one week.**


	12. 11 Time Turning

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own the elements that were used to create this story. Poor me, I know.  
I do not own any other show or movie mentioned in passing. If you recognize it, I probably borrowed it.

Apologies for the delays in this chapter. Couldn't get started.

Many thanks to my Editor Beta **JKW.**  
Thanks to my new History adviser:** Hope'sFace.  
**Thanks to my new Brit Adviser**: DarkRomanceAddict.  
**

This chapter will be discussing the Time War. I use canon where possible, but some is made up from my own head.

* * *

**CHAPTER 11: Time Turning**

_Previously on Doctor Who..._

_"Your first alien planet, Rose, come on!" the Doctor called over his shoulder as he positively dragged her toward the door._

D*W

Rose stepped out onto a street that might have looked similar to Earth- except that the grass was orange. The trees she saw had leaves of a sort of coral color, a pinkish orange. Many other bushes and plants that lined the streets were also similarly various shades of orange, as Earth plants were always shades of green. The sky was a nice teal blue, versus the light sky blue she was used to back on Earth.

The local intelligent species appeared to be humanoid and to Rose's distant uninformed eye, appeared to be covered in velvet-like fur of varying shades of golden brown but still wore clothes like humans did. As they walked down the street, the Doctor lectured that the males were noticeable by their darker shades and shorter ears. The females had longer ears, a more golden tint to their fur, and a long, strong tail- if they were mothers. Something to do with keeping their children in line, he said.

As they turned a corner Rose finally noticed the sun. To her shock, it was not the normal yellow she was used to seeing back home but a vibrant orange. Once she pointed this out, the Doctor explained that this star was merely older than _Solarus_ (as her sun was known as in the universe), and was beginning to burn out.

"If Corax had been any further away it would have already started losing its heat. Lucky for them they still have the fur of their ancestors, so they don't have to worry for a few million years about the loss of heat. By that time they will have moved off-planet," the Doctor explained.

"I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. Just because Earth has a yellow sun doesn't mean every inhabited planet has a yellow sun," she laughed at herself. The Doctor threw her a fond smile, glad she caught on so fast. Others he had traveled with had been had been shocked by the same thing before, you didn't think about things like that till you saw it sometimes.

"Is that why I feel so heavy? The gravity is larger here, right?" Rose questioned. She had been feeling funny since stepping foot here and finally placed what was wrong. At first she just thought she was tired, which made no sense really, but the feeling kept getting worse and her footsteps got heavier.

"Exactly! The planet it about ten percent larger than Earth, though it is actually not made of elements as dense and heavy as earth, so the gravity is only 7.4 percent greater than what you are used to on Earth. I'm surprised you can feel it actually. The Tardis helps the transition from one gravity to another, so you don't feel it so strongly."

"Well, I wasn't quite sure what it was at first. I just felt a bit off. It took me a minute to realize that I felt heavier. I remembered that the moon has so much less mass than earth that the Apollo astronauts bounced on its surface. I figured it could work the other way around."

"You're brilliant you are," The Doctor told her. He took her hand and led her to a small diner. On the way he told her the story of how he had met the owner and saved his life and how the guy refused to let him pay for his meals whenever he dropped by.

The two were greeted enthusiastically by the owner, a Coraxi male named Chip, when they walked in the door. He shook the Doctor's hand and greeted Rose with a friendly welcome and showed them to a table giving them both a menu. Rose glanced at the menu, and though the food looked somewhat familiar, it was also obviously made from animals and plants not from Earth; therefore, she did not know what would be safe for her to eat. A little lost, she looked pleadingly at her Doctor.

"Doctor, none of this is found on Earth, so what's safe for me to eat?"

The Doctor gave her a reassuring look that also had a hint of "are you really questioning me?" in it. "Rose, I would never take you somewhere with food you couldn't eat without warning. The Coraxi palate is very similar to a Human's, and there is nothing served here that should be harmful to you. On the off chance that you are _allergic_ to something, the Tardis medbay is excellent for treating anything, and I am a Doctor.

"Now if you want a recommendation, I suggest their house omelet with a glass of _jarris_ juice, it's juice from a rare plant here on Corax." His voice had gone from cocky and mighty to calmly reassuring and over to haughty and impressive in the space of two minutes. His moods swings could give a girl whiplash if she wasn't careful.

Rose took his recommendation and before long their breakfast had been served and the food was indeed better than any omelet Rose had ever had before. They continued to talk about the differences between various planets as they ate. The Doctor helped explain about different color stars and how its color affected the planets in the system.

"A Blue star, for example, burns really hot and fast. Often it doesn't burn as long as a yellow star, running out of fuel in just about 5 or 6 billion years depending on its mass. Also, because of its heat, planets around blue stars usually have to be further away for life to form, and thus have a much longer year than Earth. Although there are all kinds of life in the universe, so there are always exceptions.

"However, a red star, which is much colder than solarus, usually signifies a star at the end of its life but not always. As a colder star, planets often have to be closer to receive the warmth needed for life, and that means a shorter year, and many times a shorter day. But, like I said, there are exceptions to every rule."

The Doctor continued on all during the meal and afterwards. Rose allowed it, fascinated by the information he was imparting on her. She asked questions wanting to learn more. They continued to talk about weather patterns, climate, day-length, vegetation color and sky color and their causes, and more. Rose had so much that she wanted to know. She felt there would never be enough time to learn it all, even with the magnificent time machine. The Doctor for his part was impressed with all that Rose wanted to know, it demonstrated once again her intelligence, which the humans around her had plainly squandered.

They were on a discussion about binary versus singular and even the rare tertiary systems. Both were avoiding the topic they knew they truly needed to discuss. The Doctor knew he needed to talk about what had happened the day before with the Gelth but was still running from the discussion. Rose wanted to know if he was likely to react that way again. She was also curious about and wanted to ask a little more about his home planet but didn't want to push him too hard. She had no idea how long ago he had lost his home; he never said how long his people lived for, and she had no way of judging his age.

Finally she decided he was gonna avoid the topic altogether today. She didn't want that so she was going to approach it herself. "What kind of system did you say Gallifrey was, binary, right? Cause you said it had two suns?"

The Doctor swallowed hard at the shock of hearing the name of his beautiful home planet so unexpectedly. "Yeah. It had a green star and a yellow star, orbiting each other. And a black hole at the center of the planet as a source of all our power."

"Doctor, this time war the Gelth mentioned, that was the war you were talking about before right? The one your people…lost?" Rose said softly, her voice filled with compassion.

"Yeah. I don't know if the Gelth knew how it would affect me or not, but it did. Suddenly, all I could see was another victim of the war. I had to help. They played on my…anyway. All I ended up causing was even more death. I warn you now Rose; it's all I seem to be doing lately." He managed to stop himself from admitting the guilt he felt from the war. He wasn't ready to face it. It wasn't him anyway. _Eight_ is the one that pushed that button, not him. It was _his_ fault!

"You do not! It wasn't your fault the Gelth were there, and you did help stop them in the end. You cannot blame yourself for everything that goes wrong in the world or the universe. You are no god, Doctor. You are just one man. As great and wonderful as you may be, you are only one man." He nodded at her, as if he agreed with her, but Rose could tell he wasn't really convinced. No matter, she'd continue to tell him until he believed her.

Rose let the matter drop for now. She had another burning question to ask him but was afraid it would hurt him too much to ask it. "Doctor, I know there must be a reason, but I don't understand. . ." she trailed off, still unsure if she should ask.

"What don't you understand?" he asked quietly. He knew it must have to do with Gallifrey. It would hurt, but he wanted to see what she was trying to figure out, all the same. He liked clever humans, and the more questions they asked the better he understood how their brains worked.

"I saw the Earth destroyed, the year 5 billion or whatever, yeah? But I can still go see it any time before that day. So why can't you?" she asked ad gently as she could, not wanting to hurt him further.

He sighed. "It's because of how Gallifrey has existed for millennia, more than that- I mean prior to its death in the War, of course. One of our first and greatest Presidents, Rassilon, who founded our society, who harnessed the Eye of Harmony- the black hole we used for power, who first realized our Time senses. Ages ago, billions of years linear time, he pulled Gallifrey out of the rest of the universe's linear time. He did this so we could better watch over the rest of the universe and see when someone else was messing with Time and correct it if needed- although, they almost never interfered in the happenings of the rest of the universe.

"But because Gallifrey ceased to exist in _linear_ time, she was completely lost to anyone _outside_ of her time when she was destroyed. I can't go back into her time and visit; it no longer exists. While she still spun in the sky, I could transit between Gallifreyan time and Universe time, but now that in my linear time she is no longer there, I cannot go see her. Understand?" he asked, hoping he had simplified it sufficiently for her to grasp the complicated concepts of the temporal mechanics.

"I think I get it. You're basically saying that Gallifrey existed in its own time-bubble outside the rest of the universe. Prior to her loss, you could transition back and forth. But once you reached the point where it was gone, you cannot go back to that bubble anymore, because it was a bubble? And not like the rest of the universe?" Rose related to make she she got it.

"Close enough. The concepts are difficult to grasp, and more difficult to relate to someone who is not Time-sensitive."

"Hey!"

"No offense, Rose. Just basic fact. I struggled through some of these concepts at the Academy," he told her.

"The Academy?"

"On Gallifrey. It where we learn about time and the events of the universe. As much as I miss it, I never truly fit in there. I told you before that I was a rebel, and I was exiled for it more than once. I didn't believe in their non-interference policy. As children we were taken from at the age of eight for initiation into the Academy, and we live longer so that is _really_ young. This is when we stand before the Untempered Schism- it's a gap in the fabric of reality, and look into the time vortex. Imagine that. Some would be inspired, some would go mad, and some would run away."

"And what did you do?" she asked, hoping to lighten him up a bit.

"Oh, I ran, I ran as fast as I could and I _never_ stopped," he said, with that manic grin his face was just learning how to make on his face.

"Well, better with two," Rose said, repeating what she had told him the day before.

He looked in her eyes, his face softening. He agreed. It was indeed, much better with two.

* * *

D*W

Rose had been on board the Tardis with the Doctor for a while, forgetting all about home in the excitement of all the adventures they got caught up in. He took her to see ancient Earth, and they went back to the year 12,005 to see the New Roman Empire. He took her to see a few more alien planets, like Bilbo and Endor.

Sometimes the trips were exciting by themselves and there was just the adventure of exploring the new place and time that they landed. Sometimes those trips went according to plan, and there was no dangerous alien menace to fight. Other times, they landed in the middle of a civil war, or alien attack, or civilian uprising, or other dangerous hazard. Then there was running for their lives, and fighting the big monster alien, and adrenaline rushes and other excitements.

Then there was the quiet down time in the Tardis floating in the Time Vortex. When Rose needed to stop running for her life for a day, and to catch up on her sleep. They stop and rest for a while, eat, sleep, all that stuff. Then they'd take some time to do Rose's lessons. She was learning so fast that even the Doctor was surprised at the speed at which she was catching on.

He covered Gallifreyan first aid every time. He was almost done basic anatomy, and about to start on the actual meat of the lessons, as Rose thought of it. He covered the binary vascular system, the respiratory bypass, his enhanced 5 senses, plus his other 3 senses: Spacial awareness, Telepathy, time-sense. Not to mention better immune system and increased strength. He had only given her a very brief understanding of his anatomy, she knew nothing about regeneration, anything like that.

Rose had gone very quiet when she had learned that he was telepathic. The Doctor had been quick to explain that he was only mildly telepathic and couldn't read her mind or anything, not without conscious effort, physical touch, and her permission.

"Can you pick up thoughts from other telepathic beings, communicate with them?" she asked him.

He didn't know where her mind had gone, but he nodded, thinking of the _silence_ in his head.

"If you're all telepathic, could you always hear them?" she asked quietly.

He debated answering her question. This was a very private matter after all; she didn't need to know. But he couldn't help it, he wanted he to know how _quiet _it was inside his head. "Yes. Time Lords had a connection to one another, no matter where or when I was, I could hear them, even if I didn't get along with most of them, it reminded me I wasn't alone. And now … now I am alone."

"I may not be able to be inside your head, Doctor, but you're not alone. Not anymore," Rose said firmly, before switching the conversation to something more comfortable for him.

The Doctor had gone over medication rule of thumb for treating anyone non-human: 'Never give them anything unless you _know_ for sure it is safe'. For example: Time-Lords are fatally-allergic to aspirin, which is why Rose could not find any on board the ship. There were other remedies for headaches but no aspirin. She had learned that the Tardis actually removed any aspirin if anyone brought some on board. Like the same way weapons can't get on the _U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-D, _cause the transporters make them inoperable. Rose was grateful that such a harmful substance couldn't get on board to harm her Doctor, even by accident.

Once he told her about that safety feature on the TARDIS, he told her that as long as a human is traveling with him, similar features could be implemented for them as well. "For example, the TARDIS will no longer land on certain planets because they are hazards to your system, ones whose atmospheres are toxic, or thin, or that have gravity too great or small for you. If we really need to go there, she'll give a warning so you can stay in or suit up. She can only compensate for so much.

"No foods or medications that you are allergic to can get on board, either. Even if you don't know you are allergic. The Tardis won't allow any virus or harmful microbes of any kind on board ever, so you never have to worry about getting sick. If you manage catch anything outside, she'll neutralize it once we get back."

The Doctor and the Tardis already felt like home to Rose, and she had been her for a short while. When she checked her wall calendar she was shocked to see an entire month had passed. When an adventure was finished she had to stop herself from saying "Let's go home". But the Tardis wasn't her home, however much she was welcome.

What Rose didn't know was that the Doctor was feeling the same way. Rose was unaware that no other companion, or "assistant" as he had once called them, had ever even seen the corridor where his room was located. Susan had know where it was, and her room wasn't too far, but she had never been so lowly as an assistant. Everyone else who had traveled with him had rooms on corridors much further away from him, and his own was in the back. He knew that the Tardis would move it back if anyone else were to join the two of them now, but kept it close to the console room for Rose.

Rose was seeping herself into the Tardis and into the Doctor. He wasn't sure how he felt about that yet. Just that morning, he asked the Tardis to make a key for her, another thing that he had never done before, not even for Susan. All who came before Rose had received a spare key, a plain key to the Tardis. By having the Tardis specifically make Rose a key, it would be a special key and would only work for her. It would also grow warm when the Tardis was nearby.

Normal spare keys of his TARDIS stop working over time if they lost the connection to the Tardis. Only if the Tardis maintained her connection to the key, and thus to the companion in question, would the key continue to work after extended lengths of time. Otherwise the spare key could serve his old friends as a nice reminder of the days when they use to travel with a mad old man with little blue box that was bigger on the inside, but they would not work on the Tardis door after a year or two. It was a security precaution. It was exposure to the Vortex that made the spares work at all.

The Tardis had made Rose's key of Gallifreyan gold, now a rare metal, and supplied a chain of _Rionté_ another metal found in that system- not Gallifrey itself but a neighboring planet- but could be synthesized, so Rose could wear the key around her neck (though the Doctor did not realize that yet). As he studied the key, he noticed the name 'Rose' was written in Gallifreyan on the key. He felt such a connection to it and Rose that he decided to switch keys. He took his key out of his pocket, and placed it on the chain, placing Rose's key in his pocket.

Now Rose would always have a part of him with her, and she could always be with him. It was almost as good as- no. What was he thinking? He couldn't be falling- _stop it. What would the rest of the Time Lords think of you now? You are not only friendly with humans but becoming _like_ them?_

_"So what if you are?" _Argued a new, unfamiliar voice. A future voice. _"Humans are brilliant! No better people to be like! There is no reason to pretend to be like the rest of the old Time Lords just because they are __gone, and __you are the last. It is a futile attempt best forgotten."_

He sighed wearily. The Tardis hummed comfortingly. She had already adjusted the keys so either key would work for either of them.

Back in the inner depths of the Tardis, Rose was thinking about the past weeks with the Doctor as she tried to get some sleep. As she turned over, she spotted her super-phone. She hadn't called her mother in days. Rose began feeling a little guilty about just leaving her mum at home without a single word good-bye. She had just taken off into the unknown and had not even stopped to tell her mother good-bye.

True, she had called her mother every few days, to check in on her. But Rose had kept the calls short, not knowing what to tell her. Rose had not called Mickey at all. Not because she had not wanted to, but because she didn't know what to tell him. She liked the Doctor; and thought that he might like her. But technically Mickey was her boyfriend, and Rose didn't know what to do about that.

She was afraid to let Mickey go, to dump him. They had been friends since they were babies, and she didn't want to lose that friendship if she dumped him. But if she wanted to start something with the Doctor at any point the right thing to do was to let Mickey go, so he could pursue his own relationships. Rose wasn't sure what to do there.

One thing Rose was certain of, it was time to go and see her mother, make sure she was okay, and let Jackie know that she was okay and gonna be traveling for a while. Decided that she would ask to swing by her mum's in the morning for a visit, Rose dropped off to sleep.

* * *

D*W

The following morning Rose dressed in the same outfit she had worn when she had arrived in the Tardis, which she had not worn since that day. She hoped the Doctor didn't freak out too badly when he saw it and think she wanted to leave. Rose had already seen glimpses of how lonely the Doctor could get. The man was over 900 years old she now knew, and he had told her and had spent a lot of time with humans, who had a most a hundred years, 150 with sufficient medical advances according to the Doctor. Less than a tenth of his life span. They all left him in the end.

She had heard the sorrow in his voice when he told her about the "corridor of past companions" as Rose named it. For whatever reason they had all left him. Rose had vowed then and there that she would not leave of her own free will. If only to keep a good man company as he tried to save various people and planets. She would stay as long as she was welcome. She didn't ever want to leave, really, but she had to go check on her mum and Mickey, let them know she was okay. She hoped the Doctor understood.

Rose walked into the kitchen and began the familiar ritual of making breakfast. As they had now learned, the Doctor was a lousy cook, and Rose especially needed a good strong meal to get started on the day's adventures. As long as she was cooking for herself, she figured she might as well make enough for him, once she learned that the Tardis never stocked anything hazardous to his health, and therefore she couldn't accidentally poison him.

The Time Lord himself walked in just as the eggs were done and grabbed the plates and silverware. Rose served the eggs and toast and poured the coffee. She drank tea later in the day, but she like coffee in the morning, and so did the Doctor. Once she sat down, he finally took notice of her outfit.

The Doctor was crushed as he noticed that his human companion was wearing her original clothes. She had not worn that since the day she arrived. He was terrified (not that he'd admit that mind) that she was about to ask to go home. He did his best to steel himself against this possibility. When had he become so attached to one small human girl, and why didn't he notice it?

Rose noticed the brief flash on the Doctor's face. She smiled at him, trying to reassure him. "I was thinking last night, that I just kinda took off without warning on my Mum. I was feeling kinda guilty about that. I was hoping we could stop in for a brief visit?" she asked

Internally the Doctor was not jumping for joy. He was just grinning as if it would be outlawed tomorrow. Or so he told himself. He was glad that Rose was staying with him; so glad in fact that he decided that he didn't mind a short stop to let her visit her mum, just as long as Rose came back when she was done.

"Sure you can. I don't mind stopping for a short visit. You can visit your mum, I can see if the Tardis needs any grounded repairs," he said.

"Great! After breakfast, then?" she asked.

"Sure. But before we head to Earth, I think it's time for flying lesson number 3. You've had one and two down for while now. Think you're ready," he challenged her.

"Yessir," she said, grinning and giving him a mock salute.

"Cheeky. Hurry up and finish your breakfast then. I've got a present for you in console," he said. He hadn't been sure he was going to give it to her today, but he decided that she wasn't going home, even temporarily, without his key.

Rose quickly finished up her breakfast, excited about the prospect of another flying lesson. Once she was done and the dishes were placed in the Tardis' automatic washer, saving the old girl time in cleaning, Rose dashed to the control room. The Doctor sat waiting for her on the jump seat, a small box clasped in his hand. Rose had no idea what he was going to give her.

"I've been thinking about giving you one of these for a while, just took me a while to get around to it," he explained almost apologetically. She walked over to him and sat next to him, leaning on his shoulder. They had become that comfortable with each other by now, personal space was becoming a thing of the past. But the Doctor was still a broken, wounded solider and as such could only take so much touch at one time, he needed armor and distance usually.

The Doctor handed her the blue box the Tardis had placed his old key in. Rose took it and gently opened it. It was a long silver chain that held a single thing, a key Rose had seen many times, she was sure it was the same one. She studied it closer, yes the Gallifreyan writing held the same symbols as the Doctor's bedroom door. It was one of the few things that she didn't understand in the beautiful language, but Rose knew it was his name, his_ true_ Gallifreyan name.

Rose took the key reverently, and it glowed at her touch. The Doctor was glad that Rose seemed to understand the significance of this gift, if nothing else. "This is a key to the Tardis," he told her, a bit unnecessarily. "So you always have a way inside. It should only work for you, possibly me."

"Thank you," she told him, giving him a hug, she was so moved. When she pulled back she finally thought to ask, " What about you? Don't you need your key?"

He was slightly surprised that she knew that this was his key, only slightly. But he decided to wonder about that later. He pulled out his new key hesitantly to show her, knowing she would know her name, even if she didn't recognize his own Gallifreyan name still written on what was now her key. The Tardis may have translated or let her understand some Gallifreyan but his name would not have been included in that, he knew. That was too sacred, as the Tardis knew.

Rose looked at the key the Doctor now held, and was only mildly shocked to see that it had her name on it. He whispered his earlier thoughts. "Now I'll always be nearby," he pointed to her key. She privately concurred, as she placed the chain around her neck. Having a piece of him close to her heart at all times sounded like a good idea to her.

Eventually, the emotionally charged moment passes and Rose's new flying lesson continued. She was learning how to recover coordinates from the Tardis' memory banks today. As she was not telepathic she couldn't get them from the Tardis herself, like he could. The Doctor figured that was a good thing to cover on a day when they were going back to her own planet and time. Once the basic lesson was complete, he showed her how he entered the coordinates into the Tardis, and explained that he was also adding these specific ones to the memory bank, and then the two of them flew the Tardis to the set coordinates. He informed her that the Tardis would update the time coordinates anytime they came to visit, automatically, but they would remain in the memory bank if Rose ever needed it-once she had enough lessons under her head.

The Blue TARDIS was a Dimensionally Transcendental being. She could see Time even greater than her beloved Driver could. If she brought Rose home when he wanted then Rose would lie to her mum about where she had been. This in turn left Rose without anyone to really talk to about the Doctor, and that led to a strain on her relationship with the Time Lord. But if Jackie Tyler found out, it worked out much better- even for Mrs. Tyler in the end. So, with quiet apologies to her Wolf and the Mother, the Tardis altered the landing once again.

**TBC …**

* * *

The story is about to pick up the pace. You now know what they do in the morning and at night, so I can skip that bit in future chapters.

The Astronomy lesson is based on fairly accurate data.

My hypothesis on why the Doctor cannot go back is my own. I am aware that the Time Lock plays into that, and it will be mentioned later. He doesn't want to overload her right now.

Parts of the key idea came from "History Repeats" by **Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter**. Although I _**greatly**_ put my own spin on it. I **seriously** recommend reading_ any _of her Doctor Who stories.

There is as usual a** new poll** up. Please Vote! Though this may be obsolete now, after a talk with my beta, JKW.

Do you guys like a lot of the episode transcript so you don't have to think to hard to try and remember what happened? Or do you prefer me to cut it out unless vital? Or just like I have been, a nice mix?

Points if you know how many non Who movies or shows I ended up referencing! Major points if you can name them all!

No other chapters are complete yet, but the next several are episode-based. I am hoping to get ahead again. It may take 3 weeks before I'm done. Sorry.

Mo


	13. Delays

Hello,

I know you are all waiting anxiously for an update for this story. I am working on it, slowly. I have some very bad news for you however. You, not me. I went and got myself a life, complete with a boyfriend. That has left a lot less time for writing. Updates are going to become monthly at best. I start up at UT in June. and then I'll ha ve even less time for writing. Luckily, I'm not reading much anymore. The BF keeps me too busy during free time for that :)

The next episode has almost 20 minutes left to write before I am done. I'll try and work on it some before my date tonight. In the meantime:

I suggest you read the following stories while waiting for updates from me.

Not Alone by Gilari. It has a sequel, _Time Crash_, and _Sins of the Father_. The author has a lot of stories, so believe me, that'll help!

Mo:

BTW

I may soon change my Author name. Believe it or not I've only just realized what others must think of the name. I used the First 2 letters of my first and middle name to create it, but it has other connotations, too. So I'm trying to come up with something new. Don't be surprised if the Author name changes soon. :)

Please be aware that if you reply to this note you will not be able to comment on chapter 12! I will remove this note when ch 12 is done!


End file.
